The Birth of Killer Frost
by J.Caesar
Summary: Takes place as of S02E15. Caitlin feels devastated by losing Jay yet from the outside she seems to be handling it quite well. The only person worrying is Cisco, and for good reason. For what nobody knows but Caitlin, is that her grief has awoken something within her. A power she never thought to possess. A power, craving to get out. A power to freeze the world.
1. The Trigger

_**Hey everyone.**_

 _ **Like so many of you, I too am a big fan of The Flash. I've been wanting to write a fanfic about it for quite some time, but never really had time or inspiration for such a story. Now however I've come up with something and I've recently finished my last true 'open' story. My story will, as the title indicates, describe how our earth one Caitlin Snow will become Killer Frost and it is from her perspective, that this story will be written. Before you proceed reading my first chapter below I feel the obligation to warn those of you that haven't seen up until the fifteenth episode of the second season. If you have, no worries, but if you haven't, please heed my warning when I say that spoilers are imminent if you continue to read on. That is all. I hope you enjoy my fanfic!**_

 _ **Kind Regards,**_

 _ **J. Caesar**_

* * *

 **1\. The trigger**

My eyes were glued to the speed canon. Previously it had been housing the last shimmering portal to earth two, the last connection with a distant realm, a whole other world. Now, there was nothing. The scientific treasure it had continued had vanished into thin air as the cork matter had sealed it permanently. Yet along with this other reality something equally valuable had perished. A person's life. But not just any person. A friend. My friend. The first person I had felt a real connection to since I had lost Ronnie. The one that had given me realistic hope of a new beginning, a second chance to have a normal life.

A strange tingling feeling got hold of me. A cold, stretching out to all corners of my body. As if my heart had stopped beating, my blood had stopped running. For an instant I thought I was going to have a heart attack, although this wasn't the case. The sensation I experienced was purely emotional, not physical. I couldn't say how I knew it, only why. Jay.

It all had to be a bad dream. It had to. After losing Ronnie, I couldn't lose Jay as well... No! He was a speedster, just like Barry, wasn't he? There was no chance that he was surprised by that attack. No, he made it out. He's not dead.

"He's not dead." I stammered. "He's not dead."

My chest tremored as I drew breathe irregularly.

"Caitlin..." Barry said in a compassionate tone.

I didn't want to hear it, I wanted to hear that Jay was alright.

"He's not dead. He's not!" I said louder.

The more I said it, the better it sunk in that I was in denial. But I didn't want to believe that he was gone forever. I didn't want to lose another good friend. How could I survive it?

It had been hard enough for me that I had to let go of Ronnie when he became firestorm and his death thereafter had been an even bigger blow. But just when I had begun to move on, to start over, to love again, it gets ripped away from me. Literally. How can this happen twice in one lifetime? The odds were tiny, astronomical!

"This isn't happening, this isn't happening again!" I wailed in disbelief.

"Hey! Hey, I got you." Cisco said, putting his arm around me.

Still shivering from the shock, I let him guide me upstairs. My pitiable state made the rest afraid to look at me when we passed them by. Why? Had they not seen loss before? It irritated me a little, causing an itching in my fingertips.

Upstairs, Cisco kept trying to comfort me. He said things were going to be alright. That Jay had escaped Zoom before and that he might have done so again without us knowing it. I may have thought that myself before, though I knew better than that. And so did he by the way.

Of course, he only tried to make me feel better, which was sweet of him, but I didn't want to be fed with fairytales right now. The only reason he continued was because he couldn't see the disapproving look on my face through all the tears.

"Cisco, please. We both know that he's..."

My throat sucked together. I couldn't say it out loud. Cisco looked at me. He seemed to realize that I wasn't a child anymore. I noticed in his eyes that he was trying to think of something else to say, yet didn't know what.

"C'mon." He said eventually. "Let's get you home."

"What?!" I sparked.

Cisco got so spooked by my reply that he made a little jump backwards.

"Why?" I said, calmer this time.

He gazed at me with suspicion before answering.

"I think it's best if you take some rest."

"I don't need rest."

"You sure 'bout that?"

"Yes!" I snapped, once again feeling my fingers titillate.

Like before, my answer sent him a few steps back. His pupils investigated me from head to toe. What an exaggerated reaction, I didn't talk that loud.

"Okay, then at least lie down." He bargained.

I sat down on the bed to obey his request, if only to terminate this useless discussion. He picked up the nearest glass

"Wait I'll get you something to drink first." and he walked away.

Alone in the room, Jay's image popped back into my mind. The last look on his face when Zoom's claw pierced his chest will likely haunt me forever. Tears sprang into my eyes. It was so unfair! First Ronnie, now Jay. What did I do to deserve this!

Unknowingly I had clenched my fists. I relaxed them and stared at them. For some reason they tingled like crazy as they had been doing repeatedly for the past twenty minutes. Was this due to my anger? Or did my grief made it happen? I had never endured it when I had lost the first time Ronnie, nor the second which had been even tougher. It had to be the cause though. I had no history of blood circulation issues, nor did I take any kind of medication that might produce such side-effects. I fluttered with my hands, but it didn't change anything. Could my sorrow really lead to such intense physical effect? I've known that stress could cause arrhythmia, so the idea of intense sorrow (which felt like a real understatement) interfering with my blood flow was not so farfetched.

Perhaps I was just cold. Hands can also become prickly if you've have been out on a winter's day without mittens and enter a warm room afterwards. I pressed the palms of my hands against my face. I was shocked by their low temperature. They were much colder than I had anticipated. On the other hand, it confirmed what I had just suggested.

I heard Cisco return and I quickly acted as if nothing was going on. The jitters would surely pass and he didn't have to worry more than he already did.

"Here you go." He said, handing me the glass.

I wasn't thirsty, yet to avoid another discussion about my wellbeing I took a few sips and lay down. He was about to ask something when beat him to it and asked him for a blanket.

"Yea, sure. Just a sec." And he rushed himself off again.

My hands had stopped acting weird, but they still felt cold. Strange, maybe it wasn't the cold after all. I yawned. It made me realize that I was more tired than I thought I was. I guess it had been an exhausting day. I closed my eyes and heard myself breathe fairly constant, not choppy anymore, which had been the case half an hour ago.

I felt a warm stroke on my side. It was Cisco putting the blanket over my side. I mumbled a thank you and turned over. I heard him sit down behind me. After that, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

* * *

 _ **That's it for now. I hope you liked it!**_


	2. Dream or Reality?

_**Hey everyone. I've got a second chapter for you! (P.s. This week's episode was awesome, wasn't it?)  
**_

* * *

 **2\. Dream or Reality? **

The next day nobody spoke a word about what had happened. There was a bitter atmosphere in Star Labs and everyone was in a sorrowful mood. The usual 'goodmorning's were skipped today as we went straight to our daily chores. Even Harry seemed a little down, which was more than surprising since he had never been one to share his feelings with anyone else.

Not knowing what to do with my own sadness, I decided to focus on my work. Lately this had revolved around the Velocity-9 serum. Jay might have shown that it works, I still had dozens of tests to run on it before I would accept that as a final result.

More than once Cisco asked me to go home for some sleep or join him for a coffee. I ignored all of his requests. I had to keep my mind focussed on my work. Going home would surely lead my thoughts back to yesterday's tragedy and I wanted to avoid that as long as I could. For some reason, he was the only one of the group unwilling to accept this.

Everything I did made him suspicious, even when I put some ice cubes in my glass of lemon juice. Something had happened to him on earth two. Something that had made paranoid. Something he wasn't telling me.

.

By the end of the day, I overheard a conversation between Barry and Harry on the hallway. It concerned the topic of returning to earth two.

"But isn't there a way to reverse the cork matter?"

This is what I liked so much about Barry. He never gave up on his friends. Harry on the other hand never seemed to care about anyone except his daughter. It's funny how their names are so alike, yet there personalities are so different.

"I told you before, I can't think of a way to do that."

"So we'll just have to live with Zoom getting away with it?"

"Yes Allen, we do. Cause if we don't, it'll chew on us until we go mad."

I knew Harry said that there was no opening the portals anymore and that even if we could, it wouldn't bring back Jay, but that answer didn't satisfied me at all. The thought of Zoom roaming free after killing my love interest made me angry. And with that anger came also the jitters in my hands again.

This new feeling intrigued me more each time I experienced it and with all the grief and hate of the past day, I had felt it many times over. What did it mean…

"Hey."

I was so deep in thoughts that I didn't notice Barry had entered the room.

"How're you doing?"

"Been better." I replied.

He smiled sadly and rubbed my shoulder with his hand. I knew he felt guilty for not being able to do anything for Jay. Not that he was to blame for anything, it was just who he was.

"Barry!" I said when he walked away.

He gave me a questioning look.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Doing everything you can."

He nodded a single time and proceeded down the hallway.

Alone again I found that having talked to Barry, the tingling had subsided. That was interesting. Apparently it was influenced by my mental state. Irritation was clearly a trigger, whereas Barry's kindness was a counter. I had to find out more on this on the web.

I sat down behind my desk and started searching the easiest way possible: Google. I came across various causes for my symptoms, most of which I was already familiar with, though none of them blamed it on emotional factors. I was able to dismiss most of them since I knew that those were surely not what triggered it.

"Still here Snow?"

I got a little scare by the unexpected voice. Immediately the stinging in my hands returned. It was Harry and my agitated fingers relaxed.

"Yea. I was just, you know..."

His stare made me nervous. I had never been a good liar, nor had I ever had to be, however I'd rather not share my current issue with him. Maybe because I didn't want to admit that as a doctor I couldn't even diagnose myself. Maybe it was something in my subconscious that warned me. Either way, I couldn't use him poking around in my business.

"Looking stuff up?"

I sounded like Cisco. Luckily Harry bought it.

"Okay, but don't make it too late."

I looked at the bottom corner of my screen. It was eleven o'clock. It was a good time to call it a day. Then my eye fell on a link titled: _'the dread of facing off with meta'_.

It turned out to be one of Iris' articles. She described the moment she came across Geomancer quite recently. I decided to read a few lines.

 _... My heart throbbed in my head. It felt as if his glasses gazed right into my soul and found the place where to could exert to most anxiety. I'll never forget the moment he point his hand at me. That destructive hand with which he had previously used to turn buildings ten times my size into rubble. 'I love the tickling when I make the world tremble' he spoke menacingly. I had never been so petrified with fear in my entire life than that moment..._

I stopped and read the second to last line again. My eyes got bigger.

'The tickling when I make the world tremble.'

Would I be...? No! Impossible. I wasn't a metahuman. Or was I? I was here when the particle accelerator exploded and Cisco had recently found out he had been affected too.

I looked at my hands. There were no titillations now. I closed my eyes and focussed on my hands as hard as I could. Not that I had any clue how to make something happen, let alone know what would happen if I did.

After a few seconds I decided that I was imagining things. I was no metahuman, I had been tested for that, even with Harry's metahuman-watch. No, it had to be an affliction I haven't thought of yet. I resumed my search for a non-paranormal disease, but in the back of my mind, Geomancer's quote echoed. What would the rest think of me when I turn out to actually be a metahuman?

I heard an electric surge and turned around. It was Barry, suited up.

"Hey what's wrong?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb Caitlin!" He shouted.

"What?" I let out shocked.

I stumbled out of my stair, luckily without falling. Behind him, Cisco and Harry appeared. The latter held out his watch and it started beeping and zooming.

"Yea, that's a positive." Harry said.

"I told you!" Cisco cried out.

"What? That's impossible, that watch is broken!" I retorted.

However, when by pointing at the allegedly erroneous equipment as I spoke, Harry got blown away with such force that he hit the wall and fell down unconscious. I looked in horror at my own hands as they tickled like crazy. What was happening to me?!

"See! She's evil! I saw it in my vision! Get her!" Cisco continued frantically.

Another surge and I was on my back with Barry holding me down. His hand started buzzing as he slowly brought it closer to my chest.

"No!" I yelled in panic. "Barry! What are you doing?!"

"You're too dangerous to be left alive."

"Please Barry. Don't kill me!"

"I'm sorry Caitlin." He said sadly.

"NOOO!" I screamed.

"Caitlin. Caitlin!"

"Wh-what?"

I rose upright in my chair. I was wide awake with, realizing in a split second that I wasn't dead after all. I panted heavily and looked around until I came across Barry's face. It gave me a fright as I recollected the image of him and his hand phasing though my ribcage.

"Hey, hey." Barry said concerned. "You're okay. It was just a dream."

I scanned the room a second time and reckoned he was right. I had been sleeping on my own desk. I heaved a sigh of relief and let myself fall in his arms. He patted me on the back. It had only been a nightmare. Off course it had been, Barry would never kill me. The real question was, where did reality stop and my dream start?

Once Barry let me go and went on with what he came here to do, I logged into my computer. I checked my browser history to see when I had fallen asleep. The last thing in the list was Iris's article. I skimmed the text to find the piece I had read last night. There it was.

 _'I love the tickling when I make the world tremble' he spoke menacingly._

At least I hadn't imagined that. The sentence began to roam my mind again. What if I truly had powers? I wondered what they would be…

No Caitlin! You're acting crazy, I said to myself. I'm not a metahuman and today I'm going to run some tests to confirm it. That would surely help me clear my head of these ludicrous fantasies. A pang shot through my skull. But before I was going to do anything, I was in need of some good coffee.


	3. First Frostbite

_**Hey flashfans! Thanks for your comments! I'm glad you all like it. I have a third exciting chapter here already. Usually it goes a little slower cause I can't write a lot on workdays. To the Guest who requested the Lemonish chapter, I have no intention to write such a thing, sorry.  
**_

* * *

 **3\. First Frostbite**

It was relatively quiet at CC-Jitters and I was outside with my coffee again before I knew it. Just the scent of it when I had been waiting had been enough to cure most of my headache and now that I drank it as well, I would soon be free of it completely.

During my entire trip, I thought of that one quotation in Iris's article. The tickles. I might have wanted to convince myself that I didn't possess any powers, how come that Geomancer's description was so spot on? Could it just be a coincidence? If it wasn't, my first tests would've come up with something wouldn't they? Besides, Harry's watch also came out negative after analysis.

The more I tried to prove to myself that I wasn't, the stronger the feeling that I was became. Moreover, I could not force away the questions that circulated in my mind over and over again. Would all metahumans experience their powers that way, or just Geomancer? Would Barry feel the same? And what about Cisco. He calls himself Vibe these days which is short for vibration. So he too senses a form of tinkling when his powers kick in does he not? But in order to be sure, I had to ask either of them, and how do I achieve that without making myself suspicious? And if their answer was yes, would that be prove that I too am a metahuman? Or was it just coincidence? And then the endless loop of questions came full circle. It made me so confused. Where in this cycle should I start my research?

If only Jay was here. He had surely known how to help me right now. The tears blurred my eyes. I pulled my sleeve over my thumb and dried my eyes.

"Hey babe, why you cryin'?"

The unknown voice behind me stopped me in my tracks. The tone, in utter contrast to the words it spoke, showed no signs of actual concern with my wellbeing. I realized now that I was all alone in a street, in one of the outskirts of Central City. Of course, I had walked this path dozens of times before as it was our main route from STAR Labs to CC-Jitters and back, yet I had rarely ever been here on my own.

I turned around and saw a guy in a grey hoodie. He was walking towards me in an intimidating way. It sent sparkles into my fingertips. I had no idea what he wanted, though my guts told me it wasn't good.

"I, I-eh…"

I had no idea what I had to answer to him. My only hope was that someone would accidently show up in this street and save me.

"Why you cryin' when you got all 'a them nice stuff with ya?"

He pointed at my bag and I reckoned that was what he was after. It contained nothing special apart from my iPad. It contained some critical data, not only on Barry, but also on Jay and the Velocity-9. I couldn't let him take it, or things could go horribly wrong at a speed even Barry couldn't keep up with.

"What? This? This is just makeup and stuff." I replied insecurely.

My interlocutor on the other hand was in his element and knew exactly what was going on. He had clearly done this before.

"Oh babe, it's not nice to lie." And he got closer to me.

His body language was menacing. I felt my hands begin to shudder. I tried to activate my emergency call button to alert Barry, yet in my distress I wasn't able to find my phone.

Then, with lightning speed, the man grabbed hold of my bag as well. He miscalculated my strength however and I was able to free it from his grip by hitting him just below his wrist in between the radius and the cubit. I knew that to be sensitive spot and luckily even under these circumstances was able to make use of it.

He cursed at my and pulled out a knife. The sight of it gave me such a shock that my body turn cold. Everything except the tingling in my hands was subdued by it. I wanted to run, though I wasn't able to rip my eyes lose from the weapon nor did my legs showed any willingness to do as I wanted them. I tried my best to walk backwards, though it was far from enough. He came at my with an expression of true hate on his face. He was going to kill me, I was certain of it.

"Please don't …" I begged.

Once again I hoped for a stranger to randomly show up and scare off the thief. Still no-one showed. Every second that passed was like an hour, each breath take like a gust of wind, each sound his footsteps made like a drum in my head.

"You gonna hand me that purse _now_ or else things are gonna get messy." He threatened me.

"No, please. You have to understand. I can't!" I reasoned.

My assailant had no patience for reason. In a swift motion, he dashed forward and thrusted the knife at me. In terror I turned my head away and closed my eyes. Instinctively I tried to block his attack with my bare hands. It wouldn't matter. This was it. Soon I would endure the agonizing pain tear through my hands. The blade would slice me and the thief would run off with my bag and leave me bleeding to death on the side of the road. But the pain stayed out.

"Aaaargh!"

Surprised I opened my eyes. It wasn't me who had emitted the horrified screech. It was him.

"Oh my gosh…"

I blinked multiple times to make sure what I saw was actually the truth. When I reckoned that it was, I grew a little scared of myself. In fending off his knife with my hands, I had unintentionally encased it and the hand that was holding it in ice. He screamed out in pain as he supported his injured limb with his other hand. After I few seconds I noted that it was not just the surface that had been covered, the entirety of the flesh and metal had frozen solid.

A part of me felt like the thief got his just desert, he tried to kill me after all. Yet the rest of me quickly fathomed the seriousness of the situation. I started digging in my bag to find the same phone I wasn't able to locate earlier on.

"Let me call an ambulance!"

"You psycho freak!" He yelled.

In his aggression, he seized the handle of my bag with his good hand and yanked at it. In a reflex I pulled as well and pushed him away. This had a much more catastrophic effect than I had in mind or even held possible for that matter.

A massive blue beam shot straight through his chest, completely obliterating his ribcage and the vital organs within. With a blank expression, he fell sideways onto the concrete road, the shard of ice still sticking out on both the front and back of his torso.

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, ohmygosh!" I said the words faster each time I repeated them.

I looked around the street in panic. It was still deserted. This couldn't be happening. Not me. I killed someone. I really killed someone! Oh my gosh. Oh my g-, what do I do. What do I do?! How do I undo this? The panic grew stronger by the second. I paced frantically around the lifeless man in the hope to find some way to bring him back to life. But that wasn't possible. The damage the chunk of frozen liquid had done to him was not only lethal, it had likely been an extremely painful experience as well. That made me a murderer as well as a sadistic psychopath! Oh my gosh!

I heard a siren in the distance and it snapped me out of my mental distress. I had to hide him. I knew it was the last thing you ought to do in these cases and that in every movie it ends bad for those that do it, but it was just like in my dream. I had killed someone. I was dangerous. Too dangerous. I would be locked away in the pipeline for the remainder of my life, maybe even killed for this by Barry's phasing hand! I wasn't going to let that happen to me!

I began dragging the body towards the nearest trash container. Every sound, every voice put me on edge. None of them however were ever within my line of vision. Hopefully that meant the same for me towards them. The sweat was all over my body when I reached the metal container, as much from the physical exertion as well as the tension. I astonished myself with the ease with which I managed to throw him in. I pulled some of the sacks to cover him up and then closed the container.

When I walked back towards the street, I noticed my cup of coffee laying on the street. In the short struggle I hadn't even noticed that I had dropped it. The cap on top had prevented most of it from seeping out. I wasn't really needing it anymore since the adrenaline had me fully pumped up. I still picked it up. After all I went for a coffee and returning without one would be suspicious.

Before walking away, I checked the street one last time for evidence. Then I headed back to STAR Labs. No-one could know about this. Absolutely no-one.


	4. A Cold Secret

_**Hi fans! Here's my fourth addition. Someone pointed out to me that 'Star' labs is an abbrevations and should therefore be capitalized. Thank you, I've fixed it now! Cheers,  
**_

* * *

 **4\. A Cold Secret**

When I returned to STAR Labs, I had come up with a multitude of excuses as to why I had been gone for so long. The first was that I had run into someone I knew, yet the con to this was that it would raise the question who that would have been. As a second, I figured that a long waiting line at CC-Jitters was a proper choice, though I hadn't seen a long line there for quite some time now. It was even possible that by coincidence there hadn't been long waiting lines there for so long that it would reach the newspaper. In my mind I had already pictured a headline after which my credibility would've become seriously questionable.

Eventually I had decided that the best option would be to say that I had made a stroll to process all the events that had befallen me. Not a bad idea actually, especially since I had committed a murder only a few minutes ago. If carrying such a secret wasn't something that needed processing, I didn't know what did.

Strange as it was however, I didn't feel as burdened as I thought I would. Killing someone in cold blood, literally in this case, would normally make you feel culpable, right? From what I've heard, the guilt slowly consumes one's conscience, leading to serious behavioural distortions. Then how came that I felt virtually uaffected by it? Or was I not? Maybe I didn't notice it myself? Probably the best people to judge whether I had or hadn't changed, were my friends. I openend the door and went inside.

There it turned out that all my pondering had been for nothing. Nobody seemed interested in my prolonged absence. Lucky for me. Now I wouldn't have to lie to anyone, which was, as I had previously indicated, not my greatest talent. No, freezing innocent people is what that turned out to be. Well, innocent. He did try to rob me. I had only acted in self-defence had I not? Maybe he got his comeuppance.

No!

I couldn't allow myself to think like that. No matter that he tried to rob me, nor how many people he robbed before me, killing him was unnecessary. Accidental or not, self-defence or not, manslaughter was wrong! Plain wrong! And I confess my crime… Just not yet. I had to learn more about my ability first.

As I thought of it, my power was kind of ironic. Considering my last name, it couldn't have been more spot on. Caitlin the ice queen, or Caitlin Snowflake, or... Well, something like that. Thinking of nicknames was more Cisco's hobby than it was mine. Speaking of him, he was already deep down in whatever was on his screen. I sat down behind the main computer and logged in.

I resumed yesterday's research, but didn't continue on the same foot. It had gotten a completely different shape today. Yesterday I was looking for what the tickling in my hands could've been caused by and whether it was or wasn't true that I had been mutated by the particle accelerator explosion. I ploughed through our own data to find all the genetic results of metahumans that we possessed, filtering out the tests I might be able to perform on myself. For instance, I wanted to learn how I was able to create arctic temperatures without freezing my own hands, as well as how much tests with my DNA _now_ would differ from the tests I had done in the weeks shortly after the accelerator had exploded.

I was completely hooked by this new and exciting research, even though in the back of my head the image of the dead man still lingered. After all, they say you'll never forget your first kill. I got scared as I even felt a little proud of having defended myself so efficiently. True, with these new capabilities I was no longer helpless, though having seen what I could do if I'm not in control of my own strength, people might be in serious danger.

"Hey." Cisco said suddenly, "So. I've been thinking. You've been working around the clock. Maybe you wanna get some rest, go home. You know, I good night's sleep wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

"I'm fine." I replied.

I was entirely focussed on the task at hand and I had no interest in going home. After the dreadful events of the past few days, going home and sitting down idly would undoubtedly end in my mind tearing itself apart pondering about it.

"Look I get it." He continued, "You're having a hard time with what happened."

A hard time?! He wasn't even close to beginning to fathom the terrible things I was going through right now! Losing the one you love, finding out you're a freaking frost conjuring metahuman and accidently killing someone with that same discovery? This wasn't hard, it was shattering.

"It's a lot to take so soon after -"

"I said I'm fine!" I snapped.

I couldn't listen to this anymore. Cisco was a great guy, but he didn't seem to understand when people were in need of some quiet. I stood up and walked away although a few minutes later, Barry asked me back so Diggle and Lyla could brief us on our latest case.

King Shark was apparently still alive. Not only that, he had been residing in one of ARGUS's high-level facilities. Until now that was. He had escaped, allegedly by outwitting the guards, and his last tracker signals indicated he was headed for Central City. According to Diggle, his main objective was to kill Barry, solely because Zoom had instructed him to. Barry's plan to counter this was to find him before he found us. That presented the task of locating him, which was more difficult than you might think of a 12 feet sharkman.

As a result of that, Cisco and I were send to Nautilus Labs to get the research data of the wife of King Shark's doppelganger. Hopefully that presented a method of tracking King Shark down before someone got hurt.

On one hand I was glad that a metahuman was on its way to Central City again. It gave me the opportunity to focus on work and forget all my recent nightmarish events. On the other hand, I was dying to test myself and find out what had changed in me that made me able to conjure up ice.

Mrs Lambdon seemed reluctant to help us however and I was not really in the mood for delay. I skipped the usual niceties and got straight to the point, Cisco clearly disapproving my, in his opinion, too direct approach. We did get her to send over the data, yet afterwards, Cisco criticized me nonetheless.

"A little harsh."

"I was being direct."

I didn't see his problem. We got what we wanted, didn't we? I only hoped I managed to conceal the fact that I wanted to get finding King Shark over with as soon as possible. Only then I'd be able to fully concentrate on identifying the full extent of my powers. Clearly I had failed in hiding that.

"Yea, well. That's one way to describe it." He said ominously.

"You've been acting differently towards me ever since you got back from earth two."

This statement scared him. Not that he cowered away nor did he act frightened. It was the look in his eyes. He was hiding something, and it was related to whatever had happened in the time they spent on the other side.

"What's your problem?" I asked.

He observed me again with a look of fear.

"Nothing." He lied, "Let's just go."

It was evident. There was something he wasn't willing to share with me, something that occurred on Earth two. It had put him on the qui vive. I had to tread carefully now. I had to act as normal as possible. The risk of my skills getting discovered were bigger than I was comfortable with. I was going to share it with my friends, I truly was. Just not right now. I wanted to study it myself before saying anything to anyone. Also, confessing a murder is not something to be taken lightly.

But if things were to unfold the way I wanted them to, I had to keep paying attention to all. Cisco's increased wariness was a major hurdle and in the future I would need overthink every of my actions thrice, because if I wouldn't, the consequences could be catastrophic.


	5. King Shark

_**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I'm thrilled you enjoy the story so much. I'm sorry I can't write more frequently than this, my internship is really time consuming a.t.m. . Have fun with chapter five!**_

* * *

 **5.** **King Shark**

"This is a complete waste of time. We're not gonna find anything in Dr. Lambden's research to tell us how to find King Shark."

I was frustrated. I was stuck in this pile of articles about sharks, while I could be investigating my powers. Every time I thought of it, I also thought about Jay. With that came also the image of Zoom and consequently, the sparkles of anger in my fingertips. I had to be careful with my emotions. If I let them run wild, I might end up hurting someone I care about.

"Maybe I should take a look?" Cisco asked.

"Oh yea, cause you're the doctor with a specialty in biochem." I remarked cynically.

"I'm just saying, maybe you could use another pair of eyes, considering..."

He paused. This was the perfect chance to find out what his problem was. What had happened on earth two.

"Considering what?"

"Considering the way you've been acting lately."

"What does that mean?"

"You are not yourself, Caitlin."

So I _had_ changed, even so much that it had caught his attention. Would he know what I had done? Know about me being a meta? Know about my crime?

"It's freaking me out, cause you have this icy look in your eyes..."

Icy look? Was it was plainly observable what I could do? I couldn't remember looking different in the mirror at CC-Jitters… Still, that was before I had killed that poor man.

"... just like you did over there."

Wait. What did he say?

"Over there?" I repeated.

His facial expression made it overly clear that he had said something he shouldn't have.

"You mean, earth two?"

This amplified his denial, which he tried to increase in credibility by making up a pretext for what it was that he meant. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't think of anything and I already knew exactly what he had meant.

"You met my doppelganger, didn't you?"

"Whaaat? No." He laughed.

"Cisco..." I said menacingly.

The tickles in my fingertips began to lighten up again. I didn't like it when I was lied to, and the pathetic way in which Cisco attempted to hide the obvious truth, made me even madder.

"Look. I'm not supposed to say anything."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not supposed to say anything!"

"Fransico Ramon. If you don't start talking..."

My hands got dangerously cold, though luckily Cisco came clean at last.

"Okay fine! Yes. I met your doppelganger. She's a cold-hearted ice queen named Killer Frost. A metahuman who enjoyed killing, a lot."

So my doppelganger had my exact powers? And she had already turned bad, having killed a lot of people! Oh my gosh. What if earth two was actually some sort of future of us? No that was impossible since Wells was already dead here, and so was Mr Lambden. No, I could still fix this. I wasn't a serial killer… yet.

"There. Great, now Harry's gonna kill me and throw my stuff across the room." He said, rubbing the side of his head.

So he didn't know I had changed, though he feared I might. That means, now _certainly_ wasn't the time to tell him about it. I had to lie. Hopefully I could be convincing enough.

"Cisco. I'm not a metahuman."

"Okay, I hear you, but you're acting just like she did over there. You're being shut off. You're being detached... You're being cold."

"Because I have to be right now. I just watched Jay get killed right in front of my eyes. Just when I was beginning to feel normal again."

The tears sprang into my eyes, my hands stung and my breath hampered a little.

"Just when I was beginning to love him. So if I let myself feel, if I let all of that pain and anger out, it's never gonna stop."

Funnily enough, the titillation in my hands ceased when I said the word stop.

"And that's not gonna help me either."

I looked him in the eyes and saw that he understood my point of view on this matter.

"So let's just get back to this research and figure out how to find King Shark."

He took a deep breath. He was visibly emotional, just like me. Cisco was a true friend, compassionate by heart.

"Okay." He said softly.

Okay. In order for this to work, I too had to focus completely on the task at hand. Therefore I postponed my private research. I didn't like that at all, but there was no other option. And truthfully, how hard could it be to wait a little longer?

.

"Okay time to go fishing." Lyla said.

We, Barry, Diggle, her and me, stood together on the docks. In the water the buoy with the fake Flash oscillated on the waves. It was a dark and rainy night and combined with the deserted port, it created an excellent vintage of macabre, fit for what it was that we were doing. Luring in a 12 feet manshark.

At moments like these, when I had nothing to do, my mind tried to make up for lost time thinking of all the shocking events that had recently befallen me. The death of Jay. The discovery of me being a metahuman. The thief I killed. Strangely, each time I thought of either of them, they affected me less. Most of all, I found the seriously lessened impact of Jay's death a little concerning.

"Caitlin. I can't understand why I can't be the one playing Quint in this scenario. I should be the one out there, not you."

A good question. Why was I out here? I wasn't normally the one in the field. Barry was our front liner, sometimes Joe or Cisco, never me. Still it had seemed to me an exciting thing to do. I was sick of being the hesitant and careful Caitlin. For once, I wanted to take some action.

"I need to do this." I replied via the radio.

But 'this' turned out not to be as thrilling as I thought it would be. We waited for hours without anything happening. I spotted Barry. He was pacing back and forth. I went over to him.

"Hey Barry. You okay?"

He looked at me painfully.

"Ever since Zoom beat me here, _and_ on earth two, I've been running away from things instead of towards them. That needs to change."

I patted his elbow.

"We'll get you back there."

"I know."

"Think of this as your first step. Or swim."

He sniggered making me realize I had just made a terrible pun. That wasn't my style at all. Was it because of the nerves? The tension of waiting for King Shark? Or was it something else?

I had no time to think about it as Cisco's alarmed voice resounded over our radios.

"He's headed for the bait!"

Then, out of the gloom, King Shark leaped onto the Barry-bait and dragged it into the deep.

"He ate the lure!" I cheered.

"Reel him in!" Barry said focused.

Diggle pulled the lever and immediately the cable began winding up, however a torn doll was all that was on the end of the line.

"Where did he go?!" Diggle called out.

"He's headed for the docks." Cisco reported back.

We all stared at allegedly incoming beast, even though there was nothing to see in the black liquid mass opposite us. The adrenaline rush was indescribable. As a result of it, I felt this strange energy coursing through my limbs once more. The last time I had endured it, was when I had been robbed. This was bad, what if I accidently triggered my freezing skill? Barry nudged my arm and gestured my to retreat to a safer distance.

"Go, go!" He urged.

I quickly did what was asked of me to avoid my secret from unwillingly revealing itself. Moments later King Shark emerged from the depths. The rounds fired at him simply bounced off of his body as if he was made of metal. Clearly, being morphed with a shark had more benefits than just gills and jaws.

"Those guns won't stop me Flash." He taunted, "First I'll kill you. Then I'll kill them."

The words sounded familiar to me. Then again, we had encountered a lot of homicidal metahumans since the particle accelerator exploded.

"Oh yea? Let's do this then. Come on!"

Like a red arrow with a yellow shaft, Barry shot over the water. King Shark was soon to follow. They were evenly matched at the beginning. King Shark being faster, but Barry being the more agile one and capable to dodge all attacks.

This took a mere minute before the battle turned in his favour. I watched in awe as Barry began electrocuting King Shark, stopping him in its tracks. It made me wonder whether my powers could be put to equally good use in the near future. And as fast as the fight had started, it was also over and Barry was back on the docks with us.

"Now you can reel him in." He puffed contented.


	6. The Key to a Good Secret

**6\. The Key to a Good Secret**

"What are you doing with those?"

Cisco was busy working the glasses he took from his earth two doppelganger with a screwdriver. I asked him the question in the most unnerving tone I could muster. He didn't seem to notice. He would, soon enough. Minutes ago I had spoken to Barry, hatching a scheme that would surely get his attention.

 _"He told you all that?"_

 _Barry was surprised that Cisco had lectured me on my earth two copy, Killer Frost. I confessed that I had kind of forced him to speak to me. As a result he had elucidated his concerns of me turning into that other me. Barry agreed with me when I said that had no clue on how that would even be possible._

 _"Although. We might have some fun with this." He said mischievously._

 _He explained in detail some of the things Killer Frost had addressed multiple times. He even gave me a few quotes._

 _"Maybe you can cool your hands with cold water. To freak him out completely." He had said with a smirk._

 _"Barry." I protested played. "We shouldn't."_

 _"Yea… We probably shouldn't…"_

So here I was now. Pretending to have turned into an sub-zero metahuman that was a copy of me, but wasn't actually me, trying to convince the person who already thought I was turning into her, that I _had_ turned into her to ultimately make him believe that I wasn't going to turn into her, even though I secretly had already. Complex? Well, that was nothing short of what my life was nowadays.

It was a viable method though, since the key to a good secret is not to avoid discussing the matter at all times. If you do that, that only draws suspicion to you and the related topic.

"I'm adjusting the wavelength trigger. Seeing if I can get these to work over here." He answered.

"So you can catch some breachers?"

I touched his arm, which had the effect Barry and I had been hoping for. He pulled back and got scared.

"Dear God. Caitlin, your hands are freezing."

"Caitlin… I've always hated that name."

"Oh no. No, no, no. It's starting… You're starting to become-"

"Killer Frost?" I said menacingly.

His facial expression exerted complete horror. It had something really funny about it and I burst into laughter.

"That ain't right." He said annoyed. "That ain't right. That's just rude. Who put you up to this? Barry put you up to this, didn't he? Oh, I shouldn't have known. You two are..."

"Cold?" I asked.

"Yea!" He said wronged.

"You deserve it, for thinking I could ever become like her."

He leaned uncomfortably from one leg onto the other.

"Cisco, you need to stop worrying about me. I may be sad, I may wanna be alone for a little while, but I promise... Killer Frost will never exist on this earth."

Once again I found myself bewildered by the ease with which I lied to him. I had some serious explaining to do when I ultimately was going to tell him.

"Besides, you've tested me. I don't even have the metahuman gene. So please stop worrying about me, okay?"

He took some time to process all of this and conclude that what I said made sense.

"Okay." He responded eventually.

"Come on. Barry wants us upstairs."

.

I gazed in silence at the showcase with Jay's helmet. It was late and everyone had gone home. I had just been wondering whether I would try sleeping a night at home when my eye fell on the glass box Barry had installed in honour of Jay.

The sight of it brought back my memories of that night. Seeing Jay's chest get pierced by Zoom's claw. With that image, the emotions soon followed. The shock, the hurt, the rage. I felt my fingers titillate. One day, Zoom would pay for what he had done.

"Hey." Barry said.

It spooked me. I thought I was the last remaining person at STAR Labs. He did, however, instantly abolish the downhearted feeling and the itches in my hands.

"Hey." I said cheerfully.

"You look happier than before." He said.

"Well, I sort of am. We caught the bad guy, and what you did here... It's very kind of you."

He waved the compliment aside.

"It was nothing. I mean, Jay has done so much for me. He taught me how to shoot lightening, he protected Central City when I was gone. It was the least I could do."

"Thank you."

We stared at the memorial quietly for a couple of minutes.

"I think I'm gonna try to get some proper sleep tonight."

He nodded approvingly and I left STAR Labs in his care.

During my walk home, I intentionally avoided all alleys. I didn't want to risk running into another street thug. Last time didn't end so well either. I had to walk ten minutes longer now, though I didn't mind. It was safer and the weather wasn't too bad.

Back home I took of my jacket and fell down on my bed. I felt more tired than ever. Of course, I hadn't really slept a lot last night, and with all the events surrounding the past forty eight hours, both body and mind were drained of energy.

With a little more effort, I freed myself from my shoes. Then I curled up onto the bed, pulled the sheet over me and fell asleep.

.

"Caitlin."

I opened my eyes. It was Barry. He was standing beside my bed. He wore his red suit, but with the mask still on his back. I blinked multiple times to see whether it was really him.

"Why, Caitlin?" He said sadly.

"Why, what?" I asked confused.

Now I detected Cisco, standing next to him. He had an expression of aversion and fear on his face. He held a large piece of equipment, pointing the barrel at me.

"Don't play dumb with us, or I will use this!"

I looked at the thing. Whatever it could do, it didn't sound enjoyable.

"Guys. This is just a misunderstanding."

"Oh yea? Was that thief in the alley a misunderstanding too?"

"What?!" I let out, caught off guard.

How did they know about that? Had they found the body without telling me? Had I somehow betrayed my own powers? Had there been a witness? Had I...

"You were right, Cisco. She's too dangerous. "

"To think I considered you my friend!" Cisco cried.

"But I _am_ your friend Cisco!"

It was no use. He had already made up his mind.

"I don't have friends that are killers!" He yelled. "Eat fire, Elsa!"

He pulled the trigger and a giant ball of fire came out of the end of his weapon. I cried out in horror as the orange blast hit me. I was being scorched alive. I was set ablaze. I was... I was…

I was wide awake in my own bed. Hyperventilating, yet alive.

I got up, making the sheet crackle. I looked surprised at the frozen piece of blanket, where I had unwittingly squeezed it during my dream. I guess fear is an excellent trigger for my skill, even when I'm asleep. I needed to find a way to control it. If stuff like this kept occurring, it was bound to go wrong.

I looked at the clock. It was 6 am. Normally I wouldn't be getting up until after seven. Today was different. I didn't want to sleep anymore. First, because of the nightmares. Second, because in order to successfully hide my ability, I had to learn how to turn it on and off when I wanted too and the sooner I would master that, the better.

I had already learned that my emotions were of great influence. I figured it was best to start there. I took a glass from the kitchen and filled it with water. Next I sat down by the table and put down the glass in front of me.

"Okay. Let's give it a try."

I didn't normally talk to myself, though it gave me less the idea that I was acting randomly, instead of doing organised research. I closed my eyes, breathed in deep and touched the water with my finger.

Nothing.

"Okay. So that doesn't work."

Enduring grief was perhaps the breaking point. After all, this whole thing started after Jay got killed.

I closed my eyes again. I pictured two nights ago. Seeing jay get dragged away through the glistening, blue portal. That good and amazingly kind man, slaughtered by that beast Zoom. It stung my eyes, though not my hands. I tried thinking of the worst things that had ever happened to me. Losing my father, Ronnie, Jay. None of it worked. Why didn't it work? Maybe it took some time.

However, after recalling the most dreaded events of my entire life for about half an hour, all I had managed to conjure up was salty tears from my eyes.

It was crystal clear that my current approach was pointless. I had to think of something else. And the best place to do that, was STAR Labs.


	7. I Think I Lost My Key

_**Hey fans!**_

 _ **I'd like to indicate that from here on I will stop with literally following the storyline of the series. I think Caitlin's part in the episodes isn't sufficient for me to keep it interesting. Besides, if you already know everything that's gonna happen, how will I manage to surprise you then?**_

 _ **Cheers!**_

* * *

 **7\. I Think I Lost My Key**

The streets were swarming with people. It might just be half past seven in the morning, it was still an ordinary workday, thus traffic jams were already plentiful. Lucky for me, there were also a lot of people going to their destination on foot. Ever since my accident with the thief, I had grown anxious of empty alleys. I didn't want to hurt people and for as yet I didn't know how to avoid doing that if I was put in that same position again. Following the masses, I got to STAR Labs an hour earlier than usual.

 _*Click*_

The unlocking of the door resounded over the empty parking lot in front of the building, bouncing back on the nearby pillars, creating an echo. It emphasized the fact that I was once more on my own. This caused my neck hair to rise. I quickly snuck inside and closed the door firmly.

There. Safe.

On my way upstairs, I made myself some coffee (even though what this machine produced could hardly be called that) and enjoyed the serenity of the early hours. That would certainly be different after Cisco had walked in. He'd either talk or listen to music, both of which were sometimes irritating. For the time being however, it was just me and my cup of brown caffeine-rich liquid. The funny thought occurred to me that I had to bear in mind not to accidently 'affect' my drink. I found cold coffee to be disgusting and I didn't believe frozen coffee would be any better. The same went for tea, although in comparison to the former, I hardly ever drunk that. We scientists were more coffee people, I suppose.

I had planned to start learning how to use my skills, but I found it wise to first check which parts of STAR Labs didn't have surveillance cameras. Ever since the freeze-ray got stolen, we had them installed everywhere. My computer had fortunately enough clearance to view every one of them and I made a list in my head of where I could practice. The list was bitterly short. The prime spots for me were: one of the bathrooms, the broom closet, the fridge, and Eobard Thawne's secret room.

The broom closet was way too small for me to do anything. Moreover, what would be my excuse should they find me there? Hi, I was just counting whether this broom has all of its hairs . Seriously, that was place was a no. As for Eobard's room, it was the ideal place for me to practice, yet its computer system wouldn't let me in. It only allowed Barry. So, that too was a no. That left me with any bathroom and the fridge. This was where we stashed all our bio-samples and chemicals that needed to be kept cool. The former was good, because there were no other women at STAR Labs to use the lady's room, but the latter was already at a steady temperature of minus twenty. Maybe that could get me in the mood.

I looked at the clock. It was nine. Barry would be arriving soon, meaning I wouldn't be alone until after six. This ruled out any long-term, practical research. I didn't want to raise any suspicion by going to the toilet for half an hour. What I could do, were some biological tests. I could determine any differences between my current DNA and that of a few weeks after the accelerator explosion. A vial with my blood of that period was likely to be in the fridge. I got up and went downstairs. There I found that I had forgotten my keycard. I grumbled out loud to demonstrate my nuisance.

A few minutes later, my card was approved with a little beep and the thick, steel door opened. The arctic temperature inside felt suspiciously pleasant, though it might also be due to my running up and down the stairs to get my key sooner. Moments ago I had checked the code assigned to the vial of my old blood sample. Now it was only a matter of going through the numbers and letters to locate it. Fortunately, they were organized numerically and alphabetically. I had what I needed in no time at all.

Before I went back up, I couldn't resist trying _it_ at least once. I stretched out my hand, almost touching a nearby box. I had no idea whether I would be able to freeze cardboard, yet there was nothing else around that wasn't already covered in a layer of ice. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my fingers, calling upon the memory of Jay to emotionally steer me into the right direction. After a few seconds, I felt a faint tickle in my hand. I opened my eyes excited. Had it worked?

To my disappointment, it was some tape on the side of the box. It had partly peeled off and its edge tickle the palm of my hand.

"Blast." I cursed, giving myself a fright in the process.

I've been so touchy lately. I was quickly agitated, for instance with Mrs. Lambden, or the keycard, and now I started to swear as well? I had to stay more relaxed. I remember acting mildly similar when Ronnie 'died' in the accelerator explosion. It hadn't done me any good than and it probably won't start helping me now.

I tried it another couple of times 'till I reckoned it was not going to happen. Neither Jay's death nor the cold seemed to stimulate me enough. With that plan having failed as well, my list of options was growing thinner. I had been pretty confident that the combination of grief and ice would be enough. If neither of those two were the actual trigger, what was it? I cracked my brains and recalled that I also had the jitters when I was attacked by the street thug and later on when we faced King Shark. Maybe, just like with Cisco, adrenaline was the major ingredient for employing my gift. I turned around and scanned the clipboard that kept record of all supplies that were in here. A little frustrated that the list wasn't in proper alphabetical order, it took me some time to find what I was looking for. Adrenaline. And quite a lot as well. I put back the clipboard and closed the fridge's door. When everyone would be gone by the end of the day, I would try and see whether an adrenaline shot will get my powers kicking in.

Upstairs, I plumped down in my chair and looked at the clock, hanging on the wall. Ten fifteen. Why was there still nobody here? I checked my phone. No messages or missed calls either. This was nothing for Barry, or Cisco for that matter. They normally arrived at nine or nine thirty. What would they be up to? Would they be planning to take me down? Like I had dreamt? Twice? No, that was not possible. They could never have figured that out, could they? I was too paranoid. There was probably a harmless explanation.

After another fifteen minutes however, I couldn't bear the tension anymore. I had to know. I dug up my phone from my bag and pressed Barry's name in my list of contacts. The phone rang two times before he picked up.

"Hey, is something up?" He said concerned.

"What? No! No. Everything's fine. I was just wondering where you were."

"Oh, I-eh, I'm with Joe. We've got a homicide to look into. I'll be there soon."

Of course. To hide his identity, Barry also still worked as a forensic scientist at the CCPD. It was only logical that he would sometimes be helping out with a case. He was their employee. Stupid me! I already thought there would be an innocent explanation to this and this was the evidence. I should stop acting so crazy.

"And Cisco's there too?"

"Yea he's right here."

There. The entire problem was simply another of my delirious spin offs that indicated my mind is going insane at a steady pace. Next thing, I'll be imagining that they're in the alley investigating the thief I killed.

"Hey, I'm gonna hang up. We're in an alley close to STAR Labs. We'll talk once we get there."

"Wait, what?!" I answered louder than I wanted.

"The homicide victim. We found him in the dumpster. He has injuries that show signs of frostbite. I think we're gonna need to have a talk about it when we get back."


	8. And Suddenly, Cold

_**Hey Flashfans! Sorry It took me so long to update again. As my profile already said, I'm writing on two stories, though I have too little time to properly work out just one of them. I'm doing my best to write for both, yet as you can see, it's not going fast this way xD. On the other hand, I have been keeping up with the latest episodes and I seriously hope Cisco's gonna learn to use his powers just like Reverb did.**_

* * *

 **8\. And Suddenly, Cold**

The moment I had put down the phone, my head began to spin. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. How could it be happening? My mind ran over every single move I had made since Jay died. Somewhere, sometime I had slipped up, given away that I possessed powers. Why else would Barry need to talk to me? He knew that _I_ had done it. He knew it and that meant he was going to take action when he got back. He would come here with Cisco and they would kill me. I shivered by the image of that vibrant hand. I had to leave, flee and never return. It was the only way. In one go, I swept all the things I had taken out to get to my phone back into my handbag. I snatched my coat from the coat rack and hurried myself to the door, though my heels impeded my running. First, I'd go back to my apartment to get the stuff I required. Clothes, food, money. Yes. Wait, no. Wasn't my home the primary spot they'd go look for me if I wasn't at STAR anymore? No, I had to go somewhere else. But I didn't have cash to go anywhere else, so I _had_ to swing by my apartment. Damnit, what do I do…

On route to the exit, I stepped into one of the restrooms. I washed my face with cold water to help me think an stay calm. I watched myself in the mirror as my hair had gone rogue due to my haste. As I tried to flatten it with my wet hands, I continued musing on how they had found out. There had to be a logical explanation for all of this. In my recollection, there was nothing that I had done in their presence to have them believe I had turned into a meta. So why would they suspect me?

An unexpectedly reasonable thought crossed my mind. Why indeed… I suddenly marvelled if they saw me as the culprit at all. If they had truly figured out that I had killed that guy, why give me the heads up? Why not take me down by surprise? If logic served, then Barry was not coming over to take me out, he was coming over to talk. That is what he had said, was it not? That we needed a conversation. Yes. I just imagined that he meant he was on his way to put me in the ground. He had never said it, neither had there been a reason for me to assume that he was other than my feelings of guilt. I was perfectly safe. A second thing popped up in my head. If that 'conversation' was ending up with accusing me after all, what proof would they have? None!

I hadn't used my powers in their vicinity. I hadn't even been able to use them while I was alone, let alone do it with them around. What else could they have on me? Speculations? I'd deny them all. And let's not forget that I already had solid evidence that I wasn't a meta. My old DNA tests. And if they wanted to run new ones, they'd need my help to do so. They weren't the biochemists in this lab, were they? I had it all under control.

I took a deep breath and glanced at my reflection. My hair looked a lot better now, as well as my mood. Let them come.

"If they want to blame me, they're in for a nasty surprise." I addressed myself.

My eyebrows perked up. Whoa. Had I really said that? I need to stop watching movies with Cisco.

.

The elevator door opened with a ping. The sound of it echoed through the hallway, into the main room where I was sitting in my chair. On the outside, I appeared my normal self. At work behind my pc and curious to what Barry wanted to talk about. On the inside, however, my muscles were cramped tighter than ever due to the tension of awaiting the topic of our discussion. I turned around in my chair. I took a deep breath.

"Hey." I greeted them as they stepped into the room.

They weren't reacting heartily. The anxiety crawled back into my head. I gritted my teeth to avoid showing any of it to my friends. I waited patiently, albeit that I was far from it, for them to tell what they had uncovered. The couple of minutes that passed as they hung up their coats and sought a seat felt like a decade. I had slowly begun clenching my fists under the table. The suspense had built so much energy that when I was finally addressed, my dry throat gave my voice a wheezy sound as I answered.

"You alright there?" Cisco asked.

I cleared my throat and nodded with a fake smile. I glimpsed at the palms of my hands. I had pressed so hard that I had left red markings in my skin with my nails. It looked painful, though I felt nothing of that kind.

"Okay. So, from what I've been able to deduce from his injuries was that they were sustained by extremely low temperature." Barry narrated.

"You mean he was killed with ice?"

I looked up in astonishment as I couldn't recollect seeing Harry enter the room with them. I soon learned that that was because he hadn't.

"Glad you could join us doctor Wells." Barry responded politely.

"Yea, well. There is little interesting to do on this earth anyway."

Cisco opened his mouth to retort, yet he wasn't given the chance.

"No Ramon, discussing with you is not one of them."

Cisco's face turned slightly red and he blew up his cheeks to symbolize that he withheld further comments. I faked a cough to hide my grin. The irritated interactions between him and Harry often led to humorous situations like these.

"Okay. So, as Wells correctly assumed, he was killed with ice. His ribcage was frozen solid, completely annihilating the entire lungs and heart." Barry said, indicating the specified area on himself.

I didn't need him to do that. I could picture exactly what I had and where. He elaborated further on the anatomical case of the victim, trying his best not to describe it not too gruesomely. The problem was that those sickening details were already in my memory, and my brains had no difficulty in bringing them back to live, in horrifying particularity. From the man's blanc expression, to the frozen shard of blood sticking from his chest.

"… and of course, we know just one person capable of killing with ice."

He gave us all an incisive look. Did he look at me longer than the others or was that my imagination? Whichever it was, every second that passed in that moment of silence made me twice as nervous. I could feel the jitters in my hands starting to rise again. Oh no. It was going to happen. My nightmare was about to come true. Barry would accuse me now, I would deny and accidently hurt someone in the process and then he'd charge at me and phase his hand through my heart. My instincts told me to make a run for it, my head told me to reason with them, but neither of them were strong enough to rip me from my state of absolute fear.

"Cisco, you know what to do." Barry spoke slowly.

"NO, WAIT! PLEASE!" I cried out in panic.

All eyes in the room locked quizzical stares on me. Nobody seemed to have expected my reaction, giving me a bad feeling that I might have jumped to conclusions too early.

"Caitlin? What's wrong?" Barry asked alarmed.

"I-err… How… How do you know it's _that_ person." I said evasively, hoping that they'd shed some light on who we were talking about.

"Who? I think it's pretty obvious." Cisco said frowning.

My back felt discomfortingly wet with sweat, my limbs were drained of blood and became as cold as ice. All I could think was: _Please, God, don't make me hurt them. Please._

"Now hold on, maybe Snow's right. On my earth, murders committed with icicle weapons are not unique. They are rare, they're not exclusive."

"Yea, but on our earth, the boring one as you so enthusiastically described it, there's only one nut job waving around a freeze-ray."

Freeze-ray? Was he talking about…

"Cisco's right, Captain Cold is the best suspect we have. I've seen what his gun can do to a human. It was similar to what I saw on the body."

Wow. What am I an idiot. They were never after me! They were after Cold all this time. My mind had simply been so paranoid that I had overlooked this possibility entirely. The sparkly feeling in my fingers faded away. I was safe! I was not going to die, nor was I going to hurt anyone! Thank you God! Thank you!

"Caitlin?!"

"Wh-what?" I said, having missed his question in my blissfulness.

"I asked if you think you could check the system whether Cold has recently visited Central City?"

"What. Why?" I asked still a little confused.

"Why? We're gonna track him of course!"


	9. Gleaning

**9\. Gleaning**

Absent-minded, I was hanging sideways in my chair, supporting my head with my left arm. I stared lifelessly at the screen of my computer as I clicked open new, empty tabs on the internet and closed them without putting them to use. I was pondering heavily on how and if this recent turn of events would aid me in keeping my gift hidden. I know that this seems an obvious yes, I mean, with Captain Cold in the crosshairs, I would be free from suspicion, right? Wrong. Framing him was not the solution I needed. Pro, they stopped looking for a scapegoat, meaning my actions would be less sharply monitored. Con, this would only be temporary. Pro, it would buy me some time to learn more about my powers. Con, not coming clean when we were after an innocent man was not something Barry took lightly, given the fact his father had been falsely imprisoned for so long. Pro, it was possible that they wouldn't believe Snart since he is a notorious liar. Con, it was equally possible he had solid evidence of being at an entirely different place at the time. Pro, taking Snart off the streets was likely to be a good thing. Con, taking him on unnecessarily would unnecessarily endanger me and my friends. Summing up, there was an equal amount of advantages and disadvantages.

"Caitlin!"

I startled and nearly fell from my chair when Cisco called my name. My reaction spooked him almost as much as me and he apologized immediately.

"Don't worry about it." I said.

"Hey, you had any luck tracking Captain Cold?"

"No, not a thing." I sighed.

It wasn't a lie. I had indeed found nothing. Not that you can expect to find anything if you're not looking, yet he didn't know.

"Nah, me neither. It's like he vanished after he broke out of prison. I tried scanning for the emission levels of the cold gun, though there aren't any if he doesn't use the weapon outdoors. I tried picking up the vibration wavelengths, however that didn't do anything either. And in the meantime, I've been running the facial recognition software for half an hour now, only to draw another blanc."

I tried thinking of something I might have done that wouldn't be strange if it had failed, but another idea popped up in my head.

"Wait a minute... Vibration wavelengths?"

"Yea, you know. I use the STAR satellite t–"

"No-no-no, I mean vibrations. Vibe. Can't you vibe him?"

"Yehe..." Cisco's face brightened for a moment, though quickly turned into a frown. "No wait, how can I vibe him. I'd need something that belongs to him."

"Well, how about his picture?"

He looked at me curiously.

"Do we even have one?"

That made me unsure. I quickly duck behind my screen, vigorously tapping the keyboard in front of me. I noticed Cisco coming up next to me. Another note to myself. Careful with physical contact between me and Cisco. He might vibe _me_ and visualize the very thing I've been so keen on hiding.

"There. Leonard Snart." I said proudly, having his portrait emerge on the large monitor.

Cisco slowly walked towards it. He placed his fingers against his temples. I held my breath as I waited for him to work his magic. A silent minute passed, then Cisco sighed irritated. He repeated his course of action, finishing by touching the photo. I didn't believe it was going to work. If it had, wouldn't it have done so already? I was proven correctly, when he groaned a second time.

"Why isn't this working." He cried at no-one in particular.

"Don't worry Cisco, I'm sure you'll get it in time."

"I sure hope so!" He said turning around, "Zoom's still out there, and it would be great if I could at least save us the energy by finding this petty criminal with minimal effort. It's not like we really got the time to go after him, right?"

He angrily slammed his hand on Jay's showcase. I wanted to give him a soothing reply, yet he froze up as soon as his palm hit the glass. The pallid, ghostly expression spoke volumes. He was vibing something. Hopefully he got to see images about Captain Cold and not about me. As quickly as it had begun, it ended and he plunked himself into the nearest chair. Cisco looked at me with a stunned look.

"What did you see?" I demanded askance.

"I saw Zoom."

"What? How? Where?"

"I don't know." He said disorientated, "I just saw him, standing in his lair. With that mask guy behind the glass. A-a-and…"

"And what?"

"And _you_."

"Me?"

"Yea. Well not you you, the other you, evil you, Frozen you."

I knitted my brows.

"That is not me!" I sparked.

"She sure looks like you do." He replied.

"Whatever. What was she doing there?"

"Nothing. She's also a captive."

I bit my lip and started pacing the room. Why would Zoom keep her alive? Deducing from what he had done so far, it didn't make sense. I was told that he had killed both Firestorm and Reverb on his earth after they had disobeyed him. Considering that and the fact that Killer Frost helped Barry and the others escape from earth two, wouldn't it be logical that he had murdered her too? It doesn't appear to be in his nature to show mercy on his enemies by taking them as prisoners. There had to be a goal to letting her live. Ransom? No. We're not friends with her. Why would he think he could blackmail us with her life? Although, Barry couldn't let anyone get hurt on his behalf. Regrettably, that also included criminals every now and then.

"Hey!"

I whirled on my heels to face Barry as he walked in. He pointed up at the picture of Snart on the screen.

"Found anything?"

"No, nothing yet."

The words had just left my mouth when Cisco's computer blared a multitude of electronic noises. He dashed towards his chair and began hitting the keyboard, substituting Snart's soul piercing expression for the scanning program that had ran on his pc. It was the same facial recognition program Felicity used and it had apparently picked up a trace of our wanted man. He lectured Barry on the location, proceeding the instructions on how to get there when he had already left for the designated area. It took only a few minutes before the familiar red suit stood in the room with us again, dropping a dazed Captain Cold on the floor beside him. The latter was clever enough to realize in an instant what had occurred and where he had ended up. He stood up unconcerned and gave us all an intrigued look before commencing the conversation.

"Missed me already… Barry?"

He added Barry's name specifically to remind us of his emergency protocol: leaking out The Flash's true identity should something bad befall him on our account. Barry didn't seem to worry about that as much as we did and he calmly pulled back his mask, letting it hang on his shoulders.

"Not really."

"Then why bring me here?"

"Well, you could've expected that to happen if you broke our deal and started killing people again with your cold gun."

For just a fraction of a second, I detected a slight falter in his scowl, indicating he had no idea what Barry spoke of. However, he was a true master in hiding what he thought and nothing else betrayed that he was unaware of the alleged act. The probable reason I had seen this tiny detail, was because I already knew he was innocent. He observed us all a second time, where his eyes stuck a little longer with me than with the others. I felt my hackles rise. That gaze… It was like he read my soul and saw I was hiding something. If he did, at least he did not share it with us.

"Supposing that I have, what is your plan?" He continued menacingly placid.

"Then I'll have to live up to my end of the bargain, Snart." Barry replied stoically.

"A man of your word, as always."

With a short yellow buzz, Barry stood next to him and had taken hold of his right arm.

"However!" He said suddenly, "You might want to recheck your data before locking me in your basement."

"How so?"

"Because…" He said, cutting in a dramatically pause in which he smirked widely, "the last time we met, you took the cold gun with you, remember?"


	10. Break In

_**Apologies for the long time without an update! I was glad I even had the time to finish the recent season. I thought it was pretty bad-ass. With Zoom and all the new metas. And the last scene bodes well for the third season too! I can hardly wait!  
**_

* * *

 **10\. Break In **

With Snart in our basement's prison, we had a fervent discussion upstairs. Cisco had returned from the storage and had confirmed that the cold gun was indeed still there. This meant that there was not a real possibility for Captain Cold to have committed this crime. On the other hand, releasing him back onto the streets was not such an appealing idea either. He was, after all, a dangerous person to have roaming the streets in Central City. Last time, he might have shown us that he was willing to honour his agreement with Barry – no longer killing innocents to get what he wanted – he still practised enough illicit activities to make his imprisonment viable.

It gnawed on Barry that he had overlooked the crucial factor of Snart's absent weapon. In turn, it gnawed on me that Snart wouldn't be the diversion I needed to lend me the time to systematically sort out my skills. That his innocence would eventually come to light, I had never questioned. I had merely hoped that it would have taken us a little while longer to reach that conclusion.

"How do we know he doesn't have a second one? Cisco said Leonard knew the weapon's blueprints by heart." Harry posed.

Cisco made a dismissive gesture.

"Yea, but he's no technician. He might know what needs to go where, he can't build the parts himself. Besides, he doesn't have the necessary tools and materials either."

We all pondered in silence, the issue clear as day. Without Captain Cold, there were no more viable suspects. Except me. However, as they weren't aware of my powers, the criminal well seemed empty to them. Maybe this would be a good time to say that I had done it? No. Not yet. I had promised myself not to reveal anything before I knew I couldn't accidently hurt anyone. If I wasn't able to control myself, I was a threat, and then I would be locked away in the pipeline. I knew I could figure out how to do get a hold of my ability… eventually.

"There is only one other alternative." Barry said at length.

"What's that?" Harry wondered.

"There must be a meta out there with freezing powers."

"Like Killer Frost?" Cisco thought along.

"Maybe it _is_ Killer Frost." I said.

I was looked at quizzically by the others. I explained to them that Cisco had vibed Zoom's lair and as I told them that my doppelganger was being held captive there, they seemed to understand where I was going. Zoom had sent metahumans from his earth to ours to get Barry to go faster. Perhaps he had done so again with Killer Frost. Cisco suggested that she could even have been sent here as mere punishment .

"I mean, it's not that they like going here is a holiday to them." He said.

Barry said nothing, but he appeared unconvinced. We all waited for him to reply, yet he kept quiet, standing there with his eyes fixed on the showcase that held his suit. I wondered what was going on inside his head. Then, in the blink of an eye, he wore the thing he had been looking at.

"Alright, see if you can find any Killer Frost activity. Meanwhile, I´m going over to Starling City. Oliver asked me to come over. He said it was urgent."

Cisco nodded and in a flash of yellow, Barry disappeared, leaving a trail of flying paper sheets in his wake. After we had picked them up, Cisco began searching the city with the STAR Satellite. It was a one-man job so Harry and I didn't really had anything to do, other than wait. After staring at Cisco for a few minutes, Harry decided to go and see his daughter. That left me without direct work to attend to. I chose to make use of this short window to get some coffee downstairs.

A soft beep combined with an electronic sound, gave away that the machine commenced its work. With my arms crossed in front of me, I tapped my fingers impatiently on my elbows as the brown liquid slowly poured into the plastic cup. I normally drank from my mug, however I forgot it upstairs and didn't feel like walking back and forth to get it. Finalizing by spitting out the last spatters of caffeine in a jolt, I was notified that my drink was prepared. I placed the cup on my lips and took a sip. At least it was warm; I guess having both heat and taste was too much to ask for.

As I was about to ascend to join Cisco again, I got startled by the sudden noise of an explosion in the building. The fright it gave me had me lose the grip on my cup and in a reflex to seize the cup before it hit the ground, the strangest thing happened. In my attempt to regain control of the rogue piece of plastic, some of the coffee went over the sides. As my left hand shot to the rescue, the entire thing instantly turned into ice. I looked baffled at the contents of the cup. The frozen sculpture I had created, reached from the bottom of the cup, up over the edge and a few inches to the side. Slightly proud at first, I quickly disposed of it in the nearest trash can and rushed up the stairs.

"What was that?" I let out.

Harry entered the room from the other side, a split-second later.

"What's going on?"

"We got a problem. Someone's here to visit Snart." Cisco joked anxiously.

He tapped a few buttons and called forth the security camera of the main entrance. The door was utterly destroyed, burning shards of it lie all across the hallway. A slender white woman with tall, brown hair, dressed fully in black leather entered the building. She was tailed by a bald, brawny male that wore an asparagus jacket, the edges standing upright, covering his neck. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of tinted goggles, although the pleasure from seeing the burning remnants of the entrance was still betrayed due to his large grin. The female noticed the camera, blew a kiss at it, and then shot it with a gun she pulled from the holster at her hip. It sent the screen into a fluctuating pattern of black and white pixels.

"Who are _those_ people?" Harry asked.

"Mick Rory and Lisa Snart." Cisco replied.

"Snart? Leonard's wife?"

"His sister actually." I explained.

"Why'd she blow a kiss?"

I glanced at Cisco, seeing him blush and evade Harry's demanding expression.

"Well, she's taken a certain liking to Cisco."

"How did that hap–"

"Guys, can we please just focus on the problem at hand here!" Cisco cried.

Harry went over to the communication panel we use to contact Barry. The two of us tried to follow and subsequently hamper the movements of Mick and Lisa. This was difficult since the latter knew the exact positions of all the security features in the building. On the bright side, we were able to track them by the trail of non-functional cameras they left. On the darker side, they continued to be one step ahead of us this way. Tapping vigorously, Cisco activated the locks on all of the doors. Sadly, Mick brought along his burglary kit, sabotaging the locks with ease. Our next attempt to bring them to a halt included a laser grid, yet that too was tempered with in under a minute's time. Rory proved himself to be an expert when it came to disabling security systems. Every barrier that we called forth to stop them was undone by his hands. As they got to the elevator, Cisco pushed himself away from the desk, rolling a few feet in his office chair.

"That's it. I'm out'a tricks. They'll be up here in seconds."

I placed my hand on his shoulder to ensure him it wasn't his fault. He gave me a mirthless smile and turned to Harry.

"Any luck getting to Barry?"

The addressed man shook his head annoyed and cast aside the microphone.

"He's too far out. I can't reach him. We'll have to deal with this on our own."

"That's great." Cisco replied, standing up from his chair. "No worries, I'll just use my verbal skills. Hey guys. Yea, we got your friend in the basement, but would be so kind as to let us hold him a while longer? We haven't established yet how he committed the crime, so if you'll let us do our stuff, we'll phone you when we're done with that. Thank you."

"Ramon!" Harry shouted irritated.

He walked into the next room, where he retrieved his blaster. He lifted it up, catching the barrel with his other hand, looking it over satisfied. Then he pulled back a switch, making the weapon buzz softly and some lights clicked on.

"We don't have to _ask_ them to leave if we can _make_ them leave."

We joined him as he made his way to the elevator. He told us to hang back as he positioned himself a few feet away from the metal doors, aiming the pulse-rifle for whomever was going to show on the other side. We waited with bated breath as the screen counted down the elevator's arrival on our level. I felt the tension invigorate my fingertips with their, by now, common tingling. I recollected the cup of coffee. Hopefully, that was all I was going to freeze today. With these guys running around in STAR Labs, revealing my powers _now_ would be the worst possible timing.

 _*Ping*_

Slowly the doors opened, to our surprise housing not two, but three occupants. In between Mick and Lisa stood a third man, dressed in a long ecru trench coat and a pair of pilot glasses. He looked familiar somehow, though I couldn't put my finger on it. Not that it mattered to Harry, he didn't know either of them. He drew the attention to his weapon by moving it up and down, commanding the intruders to stay put. They were unimpressed.

"I don't think you're in a position to make demands." Mick scoffed.

On cue, the unknown accomplice stepped forward. As he did, Harry's watch began resounding its warning signals. It was a metahuman and suddenly I recognized the danger we were in as I remembered where I had seen this man before. He started speaking in a calm tone, a feature that made his speech all the more menacing.

"What's with all the commotion." He said slowly removing his glasses, still facing the ground after he did.

"Stop right there!" Harry called out.

The man obeyed and raised his hands apologetically. My hand indistinctly sought refuge on Cisco's arm, squeezing it as fear got hold of me.

"Relax. There's no reason… to get angry." Bivolo said, looking up with his bright, ruby eyes.


	11. Break Out

**11\. Break Out**

The moment Bivolo looked up, I pulled Cisco away, along with myself. The uncontrollable rage he could summon in us, was perhaps one of the most dangerous powers we had encountered. It had had us turn on ourselves, inciting unreasonable anger and hence, a desire to kill even your closest friends. Harry had gotten a full dose and as he wielded his blaster, he had been turned into a deadly menace; and he didn't take long to prove that he was.

"I told you that you couldn't handle security Ramon!" He shouted, firing at us.

We ran through the hall, the only thing keeping us from getting shot its circular shape. I thought of why it was that Harry had gone straight for us and not for Lisa, Rory or Bivolo. Old Wells had explained that Bivolo's eye colouration stimulated the brain area responsible for nuisance, hate and jealousy. I guess that since he had no emotional feelings whatsoever regarding these three new faces, it had only triggered him to go after us.

"No wonder Zoom has such an easy job killing you!" Harry called after us.

We took the first right into Cisco's experimental room. Upon entering, we both hid behind the workbench. Not long after that, Harry arrived too, his weapon held high to shoot anything that he encountered.

"Come out you third-rank science students!"

"Okay, I know he's affected and all, but that's below the belt." Cisco complained softly.

I punched him to make him shut up, but it was already too late. Harry jumped over the bench and we had barely gotten out of the way when one of the projectiles blew a hole in the floor. Unfortunately, in order to avoid getting shot, we had positioned ourselves so that Harry stood in between us and the only exit of this room. The smug on his face betrayed that he saw this as well.

"Well, you never were the brightest of people. I guess, this is only proof of what I already knew."

Cisco snatched one of the things that lay on the workbench and shielded us with it from our attacker.

"Stand back! Or so help me God, I will use this."

He lowered his gear and looked intrigued at what Cisco was holding. Then he snorted amused and shook his head.

"Nice try…" He said, raising his rifle again, "but that's just an ordinary hollow pipe."

"Dad?"

Jesse showed up in the door opening behind her father. She looked at him confused as he seemed poised to kill us, his friends. Her appearance distracted Harry long enough for Cisco to dash forward and smack the gun out of his hands.

"Told you I'd use it!" Cisco cheered victoriously.

But Harry didn't listen, he had already jumped after his weapon. As we ran for the door. I took hold of Jesse's arm and pulled her along as we headed back for the main room. She asked me what was going on. I didn't answer. We needed a plan to revert Bivolo's effect on Harry. As if on cue, Cisco shouted that he had an idea to undo it. He explained that he could use the big monitor to display the same colour pattern we had used on Barry, when he had been whammied by Bivolo. I asked him if we had that pattern still on back-up drive. He assured me that we had, although I could hear a clear hint of doubt in his voice.

"Okay, let's hope this works." Cisco said as he seated himself behind the computer.

I peeked around the corner to see how much time we had.

"Hurry up, he's coming."

"If a pipe's your idea of a weapon, Ramon, I wonder how you ever made it out of kindergarten!"

"It's difficult enough to focus without him grinding my self-esteem all the time!" Cisco groaned.

"How much longer!" I cried nervously.

"Just a minute."

"We don't have a minute!"

I felt a chill surrounding my hands. When I looked down, I noted that they had gotten paler. This stress wasn't good. Sooner or later, I'd freeze something again. The nightmare I had a few days ago came popped into my head. I had dreamt I'd hurt Wells. What if I do that now? If he threatened to shot me, I might accidently kill him, like I had done with the thief. Please, Cisco, make this stuff work! I beg you.

I glanced around the corner a second time, ducking back as a projectile flew inches past my face.

"CISCO!"

"I GOT IT!" He yelled, slamming a last key.

Just when Harry walked around the corner, the monitor started shimmering in a dazzling variety of colours. It seemed to be working. The red vanished from Harry's eyes. After a brief moment, Cisco turned off the lights again and we all looked expectantly at our former assailant. He placed his hand on his temple to process what had happened.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay." Cisco appeased. "We're all still alive so…"

"That man, he's –"

Harry stopped mid-sentence. His eyes rolled backwards into his skull and he passed out on the floor. Behind him, Mick Rory stood with a big grin, the butt of his pistol raised from hitting Harry on the head.

"Hey look, Snart. Maybe I am a hero after all?" He uttered cynically.

"You do realize he was no longer shooting anyone, do you?" Snart replied, emerging next to him.

Behind him, Lisa and Bivolo appeared as well. The latter had put on his glasses again. Leonard placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you Roy. I consider your debt paid."

The meta made a small bow and left via the elevator. Then Leonard turned to us. He gave us a big, arrogant smile and spread his arms. I clenched my fists, feeling my hands drop in temperature as I did. If I'd by accident murder him, I wondered if anyone would mind.

"You can run, but you won't get far. Barry will catch you, no matter where you go." Cisco remarked.

"Maybe... But before I go, I plan to take a little parting gift. Now, if you'd be so kind as to show us to the storage room?"

"This way."

"Not you... Her." Snart said, nodding at me.

Without further questioning, I proceeded him towards our armoury. I felt a chill riding down my spine. He knew I had tried to frame him. I could see it in his eyes. The silent walk downstairs felt like an age. Every step closer to it seemed like a step towards my execution. Snart wasn't a very forgiving soul, especially not to those that wronged him. That's why he wanted me to escort them. So he could avenge himself.

We halted at the door of the STAR Labs weapon storage. The name might imply that we had a complete arsenal of destructive weaponry, this was not the case. In here we mostly stacked our anti-metahuman equipment, such as the _weather wizard staff_ to stop Mark Mardon and the prototype of the freeze-proof riot shield against the absolute zero ray. After Barry's most recent encounter with Snart and his Rogues, this room also held their heat, cold and gold gun. My hand quivered as I tried to gain access the storage with my card. It failed to read my identity because of my tremor. Snart saw this and grabbed hold of my hand.

"Let me help you with that."

As he held it still, the door unlocked with a kind jingle and a green blinking light. I was pushed aside by Mick who almost ran inside to get what he came for. Walking in his shadow was Lisa, less eager yet not unwilling to get her item sooner rather than later. Her brother kept holding my hand, gripping it uncomfortably tight.

"You can let go now."

"I could, but you and I both know what the price is for that."

I looked at him petrified, strengthening the determination I read in his gaze. By acting so afraid, I proved that he was right about suspecting me.

"You know who killed the man, however you're prepared to let me take the fall. Why?"

Interesting. Although he knew I was hiding details regarding the case, he did not know that I was the actual murderer. This offered me a snippet of hope.

"Why wait for them to be inside?"

"Because Mick would have want me to kill you, and I intend to prove Barry wrong. He claimed I violated our treaty, which I haven't. If I put you on ice, I lose my credibility."

"You broke it last time. When you said you'd help us move the metas."

He grinned.

"Breaking that promise was just business. Being a dishonest thug means you occasionally break agreements if doing so gains you better agreements. Turning the transportation job around as I have, gave me a debt with not _one_ , but _four_ metahumans."

What he said was, strangely, not even that far-fetched. He did become a criminal to put himself on first place, so it had only been natural behaviour. No! Why was I thinking this. How came I tried to explain away his crimes. I realized that he saw my internal conflict. Snart was dangerously good at mind reading. Luckily, his companions emerged from the armoury.

"Aw! I missed this baby." Mick said, kissing the heat gun.

Lisa held out the cold gun to her brother.

"I think you wanted me to bring this?" She asked rhetorically.

"You always seem to read my mind."

Funny that he was the one to say that. He let go of my hand to take over the freeze ray. As they headed for the exit, Leonard glanced back at me one last time.

"You'd better have your answer ready the next time we meet."

Then, he and his rogues had vanished as quickly as they had shown up, leaving my nailed to the ground. What did he mean by that?


	12. Trajectory

_**Hey everyone. Sorry it took me so long to update this story again. Even before I went on my holiday there was a lengthy update-void. I'll try better at writing for both my stories from now on. At least this week, I'll be able to update a few times. Hopefully you guys didn't lose interest!**_

 _ **KR,**_

* * *

 **12\. Trajectory**

Barry was furious when he returned. Not with us of course, but with himself. He blamed himself for not thinking of the other rogues coming to save Captain Cold.

"None of us could have foreseen that they would bring Bivolo." I tried to ease his mind.

To no effect. He only said that it made him even more responsible as he should have been here rather than in Star City to take down the meta. To empty his head, he began racing around to tidy up the mess Harry had made in his rage. Harry himself was being tended to by his daughter. The combination of Bivolo's brain meddling and Rory's knock on the head had left him with a sickening headache.

"I don't think Cold iced that dude from the alley though." Cisco said to me.

"Why not?"

"Think of it. If he had really started killing again, why'd he keep us alive? And you said he wanted to prove to Barry that he hadn't broken the treaty."

"That's true..." I replied.

I regretted having made that up to account for Snart blaming me. Cisco had seen us talk via the camera above the armoury, yet he hadn't been able to hear what we had said. Barry blinked next to us, done with his cleaning.

"But if Cold isn't the killer, who is?"

"Brings us back to Killer Frost." Cisco pondered.

"But she's imprisoned by Zoom." I reminded him.

"What?" Barry asked confused.

"Cisco vibed Zoom not so long ago."

There was no time to get Barry further in on Cisco's vision as Joe called. Allegedly, _The Flash_ had robbed visitors of some kind of club. Barry rushed off to the scene to gather clues and possible footage of the other speedster.

"While he does that, why don't we think of possibilities?" Harry said, walking in.

"You should be resting!" I scolded him.

"Yea. Plenty of time for that later."

"Possibilities for what? The murder or the robbing?" Cisco intervened.

"I think the latter is easier to solve. How many speedsters does your earth have?"

"Two. Well, technically Eobard Thawne was from the future, so that makes one. Unless you count in all speedsters throughout history, that would mean… Oh man."

"I don't think a speedster would come from a different timeline just to pickpocket a bunch of party people." Harry reasoned .

"Okay. But that makes Barry the only known speedster up until now and if she really originates from the particle accelerator as well, why hasn't he acted earlier?"

"Maybe he has and you simply hadn't picked him up yet. Maybe your detection system isn't as flawless as you thought." Harry posed.

"Dude. That's just hurtful. Do you have any idea how long I've worked on that scanner?"

As their squabbling continued, I decided to check up on the results of one of my metahuman tests. Only one out of the five I had initiated, was complete. Constantly checking up on my colleagues, I opened the file in a small window and let my eyes roll over the numbers and graphs. What I saw was what I had expected. According to this, my cellular structure was _not_ identical to the pattern of a few days after the particle accelerator explosion. It meant that somehow, my DNA had changed. It was of course impossible that it hadn't – that freezing couldn't have been performed by a normal human – but the question was, how was it that I had undergone changes so long after being exposed? Had something set it off? Jay's death perhaps? If so, why hadn't Ronnie's death been enough to open up my potential?

"Guys. You need to look at this."

I startled from my thoughts as Barry was standing in front of me, addressing the arguing scientists. I quickly closed the window of my results. Hopefully he hadn't seen it.

"Joe collected some footage for us."

He handed me a USB drive, from which I called forth the camera footage from the club. I slowed it down to the smallest frame interval possible. It still wasn't enough to determine the identity of the speedsters. We all watched closely to spot anything that might help, yet nothing could really be distinguished. The quality was simply not good enough.

"Well, that was just sad." Cisco said at length.

"He's right, this isn't helping us at all." Harry agreed.

"Wait! Look there!" Barry said.

I hit the keyboard and paused the video. Barry shook his head and helped himself to my keyboard. He scrolled back a bit until the point where the assailant moved slower long for the security camera to catch a single frame. It was a bright red suit, similar to Barry's own.

"Great. This only makes it look more like The Flash did it." I complained.

"Not necessarily." Harry said, "Look closer. It tells us, that whoever this is, he is a scientist that is aware of the need for a friction and heat stable suit. You see the lines there. They're similar to Barry's suit."

"Yea, I see what you mean. This guy has some nice tech."

Tech access, a scientist, speedster. I suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Uh-oh."

When the group shifted their sights to me, I explained how I had asked my friend Eliza Harmon to help me out with Velocity 9. Barry was shocked as he felt cheated by us keeping the drug from his knowledge. After elucidating what V9 had done to Jay, how it had disrupted his cellular matrix, how it degenerated his tissue, how it slowly killed him, he seemed a little less angry.

"Why did you guys not tell me this sooner?"

Luckily, Harry backed me up and stated that it would be unwise to give Barry this option for it wasn't a real one. Knowing that the drug existed would merely stimulate the human temptation to take the easiest route possible. In keeping Barry in the dark about V9's existence, we had kept him safe from V9's devastating effect, should he had succumbed to his desire to get faster. I hadn't even thought of it this way, but all of us realized that this was a very good point.

"I'd better go visit Eliza to find out if knows more about the V9."

"I'll call Joe, I'm sure he can be of help."

.

Moments later, Joe pulled over at Mercury labs. I had briefed him on the Velocity 9 and my relationship with Eliza during my days here and he had taken a mental note of it all with a silent nod. With a beep, the elevator carried us to the fifth floor where, according to the receptionist, Eliza's lab would be. Apparently she had been moved since I left, having been given a larger lab. When we walked up to her, I had to supress some jealousy seeing all this brand-new equipment.

"Eliza."

She was busy working in a fume hood, wearing a pair of cerulean nitrile gloves. Peeking over her shoulder, she recognize me instantly.

"Caitlin! What a surprise! Sorry if I don't shake your hand." She said.

She waved the flask and heat gun she was holding, up and down to symbolize she had her hands full. I smiled understandingly as she went on with heating the chemicals.

"Hey, do you remember the last time we spoke?"

"Eh-yea..." She said, examining her experiment prior to continuing, "You wanted me to help with something."

"Yes. It's about _that something_."

"Oh, then I'm sorry. I don't have it anymore. I destroyed it all after you said we were done."

She put down the flask and removed her gloves.

"Really?" I asked surprised, "So it's impossible for something to have been stolen from here then?"

"I don't see how. Sorry." She assured me.

"That's okay. It is actually a great relief, right Joe?"

I looked at Joe. He hadn't as much as raised an eyebrow during our entire conversation. I'd give real money to ever be able to read his mind. His stoic look was always downright impenetrable.

"Right." He confirmed indistinctively.

I walked over to give Eliza a hug and finished my gesture by shaking her hand.

"Thanks for the help. Sorry I can't talk more now, we're in the middle of something. We should meet again sometime in the future!"

"We totally should!"

Unexpectedly, the flask she had put down exploded in a rain of sparks. It spooked me and in a reflex, I contracted the muscles in my hand, squeezing Eliza's hand tight. It wasn't until after she screamed and tugged herself free that I realized my fingers were num. Oh god, I had frozen her wrist! In reply she began quivering her hand with a speed that matched Barry's to recirculate the blood flow. This all occurred in such a short time span, Joe seemed to miss out on the part where I almost froze her. He only saw that she was the fake-Flash.

"You're her!" He called, reaching for his gun.

He was too slow. She was already next to him and with a slam to the chest, sent him flying through the air and into the glass door behind us. Then she zapped towards me and looked at me like I had never seen her look at me before. This wasn't Eliza anymore. This was something different, something non-human.

"What have you done?!" I cried out.

"Oh shut up. You started." She replied spiteful, caressing her hand "What was that, what you did to me? It hurt like hell!"

I ignored her question.

"You stole the V9."

She laughed.

"I didn't steal anything. You _gave_ it to me, remember? And now, you're going to give me a lot more."

And with lightning speed, she gripped my coat and made my surroundings buzz away.


	13. Speed And Cold Are Opposites

**13\. Speed And Cold Are Opposites**

When we reached our destination, I was completely exhausted. I wasn't used to travel at high speed and somehow it had sucked the energy from me. I collapsed on hands and knees as I gasped for air.

"Don't be a whiner, Snow." Eliza insulted, "Wait here."

As I slowly regained my breath, I heard birds chirping and traffic noise in the background. I discovered that I was at the S.T.A.R. Labs parking lot. Eliza had just entered the building and whatever she was going to do there, it couldn't be good. I wondered if Joe was okay. The blow hadn't looked so hard, but who knew what might have befallen him.

An iron grip on my collar and I flashed inside the building. In the main room, I was released and dropped onto the ground. Again it took me some time to fathom where I was and what was around. Cisco and Harry were held at gunpoint by Eliza and on the computer I heard Barry call out. I didn't know what she had done to him, although he was clearly in no position to help us out. Behind Harry was Jesse, whom he tried to shield from harm as best he could. I knew that Eliza could still hurt her if she wanted, yet hopefully that wasn't her intention.

"You and your friend here are going to make me some more V9." She commanded me.

"No, Eliza, that stuff is killing you. I took a oath as a doctor to-"

"Cut the crap, Snow!"

"It's not crap! Look at yourself, you're just not Eliza Harmon anymore."

She looked herself over and concluded I was right.

"Yea you're right. I'm better than Eliza Harmon. I'm Trajectory. The fastest woman alive. Now start making V9! And no tricks!"

Cisco took over the protecting role of Harry as he and I went into the lab to synthesize the drug Eliza craved. Behind us, she zapped back and forth, making Cisco and Jesse disappear.

"What did you do to them?" Harry sparked.

"Relax old man. They're locked up downstairs. Now hurry up!"

She kept a close eye on us as we worked in the lab. Neither of us spoke a word, except for meaningless helping hand queries. There had to be a way to stop her. If only we could free Barry. I suggested in sign language to Harry that we could alter the drug, yet he figured that would be unwise as speedsters could simply evaporate harmful substances from their bloodstream. Hence we chose not to temper with it. Instead, Harry signed me that he had another plan. Apparently he had a pocket sized plasma gun in his trousers. Additionally, he winked that _the boot_ was also hanging on the wall behind Eliza. She couldn't know what it was, thus that could catch her off guard. I remember using it against Geomancer when he attacked S.T.A.R. Labs. It had been difficult to handle to recoil. With a bit off luck, Harry's gun was enough to put our hostage taker down.

"Here it is." Harry said, handing over the vials.

During the synthesis, we had worked out a plan, based solely on Eliza's paranoid mind. She'd undoubtedly want some validation that the V9 wasn't poisoned. On how to do that I had no clue, however when I'd pretend to give her that proof, Harry would stun her with his pistol. Then, if necessary, he'd also use _the boot_ the pin her to the floor.

Eliza took over the V9 samples from him and inspected them carefully.

"You got what you want, now leave us alone." I said.

"Not so hasty. How do I know you haven't laced these with sedative?"

"We haven't!"

"Riiiight." She replied incredulously, "but just in case."

She dashed towards me, poised to inject the V9 in _my_ arm. I looked frightened at the metallic object in her hand, knowing it could corrupt my life entirely. I hadn't foreseen her trying this. Please Harry, make the shot count! As planned, Eliza had overlooked Harry as he grabbed his weapon and fired. An shimmering projectile hit her in the lower back, making her fall to the ground. Sadly, it hadn't been enough to knock her out. She was quick to recover and ran over to disarm Harry; an act she performed in an instant.

"Hadn't I said, no tricks?!" She yelled at him.

She smacked Harry's jaw with a swift punch, throwing him across the room. It reminded me of Joe's painful encounter with Eliza. And to think Harry was still convalescing from the effects of Bivolo's mind stirring.

Meanwhile, I had sprinted for _the boot_ , yet Eliza emerged in between me and the item.

"Where were we." She said, unaware that I was heading for it.

She held out the needle. Fear got a hold of me. It crept up every inch of my being, causing vibrations all over. The contents of that vial were so pure, it would kill me. And if it didn't, I would end up with rapid cell aging, which was maybe even worse. I had to fight back. I tried to strike her, but without super speed, I wasn't able to. Eliza twisted my arm and forced me with my face onto the floor. She laughed, tore off my sleeve and jabbed the syringe into my upper right arm.

As I screamed out all the way, I felt a burning at the spot where I was stung. Strangely, the feeling was contained there. I opened my eyes and glanced at my arm. My skin was reddish in a circle around the needle. The rest of my arm was precariously pale. Paler than normal. The white was also forcing back the red, all up to the needle itself. As if my body was keeping the V9 out. It was an amazing thing to witness.

"What?!" Eliza cried out enraged and confused.

Then, the extraordinary event concluded with the syringe turning into a block of ice, breaking off at the tip. The shaft fell and shattered into a thousand tiny shards.

"You evil bitch!" She cursed.

Instinctively, I knew she was going to attack me. In response, I raised my hands to fend her off. If someone would have asked me why I did it, or if I had known what was going to unfold, my answer would've been negative. But having made this move, I stopped my foe in her tracks. A familiar sensation came over me as my fingers dropped in temperature. The very next second, a blast of freezing air shot straight out of the palms of my hands. Sheer amazement. I was experienced with my ability to turn things into ice; emitting a sharp, cold wind was a new one.

Eliza had had no idea either that this had been in stall for her. As she was moving towards me, she caught the cold front head first. Utterly surprised by the force of my attack, she had to use all her energy just to stay on her feet and not got encapsulated by the water vapour that solidified around her. Suddenly, the lighting she used to melt the ice coloured blue. At the same time, she fell onto her knees. I lowered my hands, ceasing the snowstorm. Luckily, in contrast to the thief from the alley, Eliza did die from my powers. Instead, my adversary was shivering and looked a little blue-purple. I guess she had never spent a winter holiday in Canada before.

My sub-zero pulse had drained all her cells from heat, making her incapable of using speed. She went on cursing me, whilst clattering her teeth to get warm. I picked up _the boot_ from the wall and sent her to sleep by tagging her with it. It felt good to have defeated her with my powers, I didn't know why. Every time I thought of my metahuman powers, I was afraid of what they might do. Simultaneously, every time I got to use them, I felt nothing but excitement and fascination.

After returning the weaponto its original spot, I ran over to Harry to check up on him.

"Wh-what?"

He shot upright, immediately placing his fingers on his temple and tried rubbing the pain away.

"Easy." I advised him.

"Snow?" He asked dazed, "Are you okay? Did she sting you?"

I glanced at the wound in my arm. Despite being injected with V9, it didn't affected me at all. That, combined with the fact that my body had frozen the substance into the needle itself, I was confident I wouldn't suffer any side effects.

"No, I'm fine."

"And the speedster?"

"Knock out. Errr, your gun... Your gun worked!" I cheered.

"Really? Thank god." He sighed, lying down again.

I was glad he passed out again. In my haste to check up on him, I had totally forgot to clear the room of the remaining chunks of ice. Better do that now!


	14. The Truth Uncovered

**14\. The Truth Uncovered**

Having locked Eliza in the pipeline, the next topic was what to do with her next. It was a trickier thing to contemplate than one might think. We couldn't simply keep her there until the V9 had worked out. Once it had, her cells would slowly start to degenerate and in contrast to Jay, she had never had the true speedforce, meaning her body would die at an even faster rate.

"I say we give her a weekly dose to allow her body to repair the dying tissue." Harry suggested.

"That also means, she has to be locked up there until we have a cure."

"True. But at this point, there's not really an alternative."

"Sure there is. Let it work out and have her solve it herself." Cisco groaned.

"Cisco! That would kill her!" I replied shocked.

"What? It's not like she's been a keen to keep us alive, has she?"

Despite the truth behind his reasons, I was slightly astonished by his inhumanity. Even though she had held us at gunpoint and had stolen V9, we had kept metas alive who had done far worse. Besides, Eliza had been a good friend of mine, during my time at Mercury Labs.

"She was my friend" I defended her, "and I say we go with Dr Wells's plan."

"I agree with Caitlin, we can't just leave her to her fate…"

I shot Barry a thankful smile, but he wasn't done.

"… although we might have to accept that there might not bea cure for her."

I stared at the ground. All of us knew that the scenario were Eliza would die, was indeed the most probable one. Not so long ago, we had put our best efforts in trying to cure Jay. The only outcome had been the Velocity 9; a temporary remedy. So chances were, we'd have to keep Eliza on V9 for the rest of her live.

.

"Blue? You sure?"

After our talk, Harry had drawn the shortest straw and as a result, he had been in the basement to tell Eliza our plans for her future. In her rage, she had furiously rattled her cage in an attempt to break out. Pointless, as it had been designed to keep the evil Wells from escaping, and he was a lot more cunning that Eliza was. According to earth two Wells, during her rage, her electric sparks had turned blue. I contemplated saying that I had seen it happen too. I chose not to.

"Yes. At the top of her tantrum."

"Interesting. Zoom's pattern is also blue." Barry said.

"My thoughts exactly." Harry replied.

Honestly, I believed it was a link we had all came to.

"So what, V9 turns your lightning blue?" Cisco argued.

"That might be true. It explained why he was faster than Barry." Joe mentioned.

He had joined us shortly after Harry had gone down to talk to Eliza. His arm was bandaged, yet he had no further injuries. Remarkably strong he always was. He had gotten quite a bang at Mercury labs. On the other hand, I remembered him walking out after having had greater poundings, so I shouldn't actually be so surprised. Joe was a tough cookie.

"But that would mean Zoom's cells degenerate too, right?" Jesse argued.

"That's it!" Harry said, slapping a fist in the palm of the other hand. "That's the reason he wants your speed! He's dying! He needs your speed as a cure!"

"Speedster, V9, sickness… Is it just me or is Zoom getting an awful lot of similarities with Jay?" Barry thought out loud.

"Yea, as if they could be the same." I chuckled.

I reckoned that since I was the only one laughing, he might not have intended it as a joke.

"Maybe now would be a good time to say I've been vibing Zoom."

He explained that he had received visions of Zoom's activities on earth two a few times now. The last one, when the rogues attacked the compound. Thus far he hadn't understood why, as nothing significant ever happened in those dreams. The sole connection between the events, was that he claimed to have been near the showcase of Jay's helmet each time. In the painful silence that followed, Barry walked up to and smashed said showcase. As the glass fragmented, my gut cramped like someone placed his foot on it.

Jay was Zoom? No. No, that couldn't… I couldn't… No, they had to be wrong!

Cisco picked up the artefact. His eyes grew big and his expression turned blank. He was vibing, that much was certain. Please let him not see _that_. How would it even be possible? Hadn't Zoom killed Jay? Or had it also been a speed mirage, like with evil Wells? If this 'theory' was proven right, that would even be worse. If Zoom and Jay really were the same person, then I… I… I wouldn't know. There was no way I could believe it.

 _*Clang*_

Cisco dropping the helmet spooked my from my mind.

"Cisco. What did you see?" I asked straight away.

His face was paler than I had ever seen it.

"I-it… It's true… Jay is Zoom." He stammered.

My worst nightmare had come true. I believed losing Jay was the worst thing that could have happened to me. I realized how wrong I had been in assuming that. That grief hadn't even come close to the emotions that tore me up inside now. Barry flashed off, at least I wasn't the only person who felt betrayed. We probably all did. Joe ran after him outside, although there was no way he could keep up with him. I ran the other direction. Downstairs, to the nearest bathroom. I heard Cisco call me, but I wanted to be alone. I needed to process this alone.

I slammed the door shut behind me. My mascara was forming black stripes down my cheeks. I hadn't even noticed that I had been crying all this way. To think that Zoom… and Jay… all this time… and to think that we… I leaned my hands on the edges of the sink and bend over as I sensed myself getting sick. I dry heaved a couple of time, yet nothing came out, which was, as a matter of fact, even worse. I panted as anger took the upper hand.

"That bastard!" I yelled.

My hand tingled and my fingers got numb. I didn't care. I was just so mad. He had played me like an instrument. And I had fallen for it like a stupid girl. I had been deceived so easily. Never had it occurred to me to doubt him. To doubt that smile. And all along, it was a bloody Judas' smile! Slowly, the sensation in my hands got stronger. I continued to ignore it. There was nobody to see me here anyway. As I thought of it, I didn't care if anybody found out anymore. My life could hardly get any worse. My life had revolved around Jay for the past months. First to get him to like me, then to get Velocity 9 to fix him, and finally my mourning of his death. Now, suddenly, it was a lie. Every bit of it. Not only that. It had been a scheme, devised to get me to help him.

"All this time he has just used me!" I cried out, punching the mirror.

 _*Krrrrrr*_

I perked my eyebrows in awe as I noted the entire mirror turning into ice. In the faint reflection that was left in the altered surface, I saw that my hair had gotten as white as snow. In reaction, I placed my hand before my mouth. It felt so cold. I looked it over, and then the other. They were both pale, like earlier when I was battling Eliza and a white condense was circling around the skin. I placed my hand onto the sink. It instantly became an ice sculpture. For the first time, I seemed to be controlling my power. I was able to use it as I wanted, not a random act. I looked at the wall behind me. Could I…

I whirled on my feet and aimed the palms of my hands to the wall, parallel, tightening the muscles. A gust of petrifying cold was cast against the stones. A thin layer of frostbite quickly formed, thickening with each passing second.

"Cool." I complemented my hands.

The word had hardly left my lips, when my hands went back to normal. I saw in the mirror that my hair had also regained its original chestnut colour. I touched another sink. Nothing. Something was different. What did I do differently? How did I get here? I came here to process that… deceit. Jay, how he had played with my emotions like they were keys on a ring. That vermin…

Unwittingly I had clenched my fists, making the titillation return. I realized why I had lost my freezing skill a few moments ago. Fascination had overruled my anger. Remembering Jay's lies, infused me once more with the power of ice. I guess there was but one method to attain full access to my abilities. It wasn't focus, nor was it sadness or anxiety. The path to my power was hatred, and as the strange twists of fate would have it, I had more than plenty of that now.


	15. Cold Combat

**15\. Cold Combat**

Strangely enough, after I left the bathroom, I found myself to be at some kind of peace. I was still angry for what Jay had done to me, although as it had been the jumpstart cable to use my powers, I was not that distressed about _being_ angry. Over the past few days, I had already processed my grief so rage was the sole emotion Jay's betrayal had left me with. I was actually quite lucky. I now had a good source of hatred, the kind I needed to fuel my metahuman skills. I even felt a certain joy in the foresight of getting to use them again. A sadistic kind of joy.

Upstairs, the others sat silently in their chairs. Since Barry still hadn't returned, nobody quite knew what to do. I suggested that it would be best for us all to call it a day. After the chaos Eliza had stirred up, and now with the discovery of Jay as well, we could all use some rest. Harry agreed and took Jesse with him, whereas Cisco chose to stick around in case Barry came back here. I quickly gathered my stuff and headed home.

"Tomorrow, we'll all be fit and rested!"

Not that this was the reason I wanted to go home. I was eager to do some icy experiments and for that, I couldn't use any prying eyes.

.

In the hall of my apartment building, I put down the brown bags with groceries to search for my key. I had taken an alternative route back, to buy some food for both eating and experimenting. Once I retrieved it from my coat, I noticed the lock to go surprisingly smoothly. That was odd. I recollected this morning it went rather hard. Inside, I placed the bags on the table and decided to investigate the lock a little further. I recognized scratches on the outside. Somebody had been trying to break in! But who? And had they succeeded?

I checked the safe in the top cupboard above my sink. There was nothing wrong there. No signs of attempts at break in and all contents were still inside. I released my breath. For a moment I feared they had stolen not just my savings, but also the engagement ring I got from Ronnie.

As I closed and locked the safe, a load fell of my back. At the same time, I sensed the room to be unnecessarily warm. I went over to the thermostat to dial it down, however I was shocked to find someone had already decreased it by five degrees.

"If you want to heat it up again, that's fine. I just didn't wanna wait in such a hot room." I heard an ominous voice.

As if struck by lightning, I whirled on my heels to face the intruder. Like a scene from a movie, he clicked on the light next to the chair he was sitting in. Leonard Snart was reclining in one of my chairs as he gauged my reaction. He loved clichés like that. His presence enraged me, and unlucky for him, angering me didn't result in mere bluster anymore.

"Like I said, we weren't done talking yet." He said, "Why don't you sit down?"

"What a kind offer, since it is my house."

He shrugged and waited for me to settle myself on the bench opposite him.

"Can I offer you something to drink? I know there's wine, beer and juice in the fridge."

I clenched my fists as he knew exactly where to find the glasses in my kitchen. He had not only broke into my home, he had snuffed through my things too. His continuing defiance made my hands colder and colder. I reckoned that no matter how much of me he knew or had seen, there was one thing he most certainly did _not_ know. And that was going to be the downfall of this cocky prick.

When he returned, he handed me a glass of red wine.

"Who said I wanted wine?"

"Your facial expression told me."

Reluctantly, I accepted the drink. For some reason, I was indeed craving for some wine. Strange, how he had known that before I had.

"So..."

He sat down in the chair again. He had taken in with simple orange juice and took a sip after which he placed both hands around his glass, softly swaying it to let the liquid spin around like a whirlpool.

"... why are so eager to blame me for that guy's unfortunate death."

"We-we just assumed that it was you." I lied.

He huffed.

"Lying isn't one of your stronger points, is it?"

"Neither is making friends for you."

He smirked.

"Maybe…"

He put his glass on the cupboard underneath the lamp of his dramatic entrance and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

"… but that doesn't change the fact that you're trying to shove this problem into my lap. And I am as interested in the why, as the who."

"Because you're a criminal and a murderer! Why shouldn't you be the one who did it?!" I cried.

He leaned back satisfied.

"Okay, that is a why. What about the who."

I evaded his piercing gaze.

"Wouldn't that be nice to know." I replied.

"Oh, but you _do_ know it. And unless you start talking, I'll have to resort to less friendly methods."

"Ha! You wanted us to believe your innocence so bad, I won't believe you'll kill me now to get there."

"Who said anything about killing you?"

He pulled out the cold gun that had been hanging in a holster on his upper leg. It zoomed as he switched it on.

"You have ten pretty fingers that I can painfully remove with this. Imagine it. Freezing them off…" He held up his hand and bent down his fingers rhythmically as he said: "one-by-one-by-one."

Looking at him, I felt a sheer contempt. And somehow, also a strange kind of connection. He shared my passion for cold. Not that he knew that. Nobody knew of my power. Not yet at least. I looked forward to bursting his bubble when Snart would meet my own personal 'cold gun'.

"No?"

As quick as a lashing viper, his arm shot forward and seized my arm. His speed caught me by surprise and he slammed my hand on the table and hoovered the gun above my little finger.

"How about now?"

I recovered quickly from and with my free hand, I pushed away the gun. Accidently, the ray fired and froze the carpet on the floor. He wasn't solely entitled to making swift and unexpected movements. Additionally, I tugged my other hand from his vice-like grip and ran for the door.

Leonard had unfortunately foreseen this and shot again, this time freezing the door handle, blocking my exit route. I realized too late that he had walked up to me and upon turning, he slapped me in the face with such force that I hit the ground. As I lay dazed on the ground, he gently pushed me over with his foot, followed by painfully pressing it on my wrist. Once again, he pointed the gun at my hand. This time, however, there was no escaping, no matter how much I struggled.

"Last chance."

The cold ray beeped and I saw the bright blue light shine in the triangular barrel. Suddenly, I started to doubt whether my hand would endure absolute zero. I had been able to spawn ice and freeze objects, albeit none of those required _such_ a low temperature. I had to be sure that I was in the middle of using my skill when he pulled that trigger. Luckily, by now I had learned an effective method to incite it. The thought of Jay, or Zoom, or whoever he was. The betrayal, the lies…

"You've got guts, I'll tell you that. Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

I screamed during the full five seconds the light bundle blasted on my hand. By the time it was over, Snart grinned content. A satisfaction that was only brief, as we soon reached the same conclusion. Nothing. My hand was a little pale, yet far from frozen. My plan had worked. I had survived the attack without a scratch, much to surprise of my enemy. He removed his foot from my lower arm and eyed me intrigued.

"Interesting. It appears you have answered my second question after all."

Oh god. He was right. Of all people, Leonard Snart was the one to find out my secret. He had blackmailed Barry before with his, he would surely do the same to me. I could not let this happen and in a split-second, I made the dark decision to shut him up in the one way I saw possible. I grabbed hold of his leg. A rush shot through my veins, one I could feel from the nails of my toes to the tips of my hair. My hand titillated as I saw his trousers begin to freeze. This time round, I caught him off guard. In panic, he stumbled backwards, kicking himself loose. He crawled away from me, his leg stiff and immobile as it was frozen up to his knee.

"I would be mad, if this didn't mean we'd be square after I hit you." He replied

I rose to my feet and looked down on him without any form of mercy. My power had to remain a secret. A secret I could not trust _him_ with. He had to die. Barry already didn't believe Leonard was the killer of the thief from the alley. There was no reason for him to be left alive. And he had disappeared in the past before, had he not?

"I like change in make-up. How'd you do that so fast?"

I spread my hands, aiming my palms for him.

"It doesn't matter. You're going to die either way." I spoke calmly.

He grinned incredulously.

"You don't believe me?" I asked confidently.

"Oh I do. However, your friend Barry over there says otherwise."

Barry?! I turned around shocked. How much had he seen? How could I explain the fact that I had just threatened to kill someone? Would he… In the following second, I gathered I had been tricked as I stared at an empty kitchen. I was a fool, and even further infuriated, I reset my sights to my opponent. Snart had smashed his frozen trouser leg, revealing intact flesh underneath. Apparently, the textile had saved his limb.

He jumped and fired the cold gun at my face. I shielded myself with my hands, effectively absorbing the attack. He had to put up more than that if he wanted to take me out. But I was wrong again. His aim had never been to strike me down. He was simple covering himself. He leaped through the glass window, the binding rope of my curtains clasped in his off-hand. I ran over to the sill and looked down to see him land on the emergency fire stairs that led into the alley behind the building. I aligned my arm and sent two pulse of frost down, yet he agilely jumped from stair to stair, evading my attacks. When he made it to ground level, he got into a car that I hadn't even noticed. It fired up its engine and drove away, the tires squealing like a pig.

I punched the window sill, unintentionally creating a layer of frostbite, as I watched them get out of sight.

"Shit…"

* * *

 ** _Hey guys. From next week on, my college work will resume, hence my update speed will drop from there on. Apologies!_**

 ** _KR,_**


	16. Exploring My Gift

_**Hey all. You may have read this at my other fanfic or not, but I'm starting to gain a little more time for writing. Henceforth, here is the next chapter of this story.  
**_

 _ **Something else though. I'm not sure how many of you have seen S03E02 (last Tuesday) of Flash yet, so the things I'd like to mention about that are at the far end of this chapter, below my SPOILER bar. To avoid inconvenience for people who haven't seen it.**_

 _ **KR,**_

* * *

 **16\. Exploring My Gift**

I paced up and down my room. What would Snart do with his knowledge of my powers? It was unlikely that he would tell Barry, it was too good a leverage on me to give away. He'd probably use it if we caught him again. And if he brought it up, I'd have to lie my way out. I wasn't good at that. I would have to explain everything and then what would they do with me. Lock me up in the pipeline, no doubt. I was a murderer. I had to find Snart or make them abandon the search. But how…

I puffed. It was too hot in here. I checked the thermostat. Seventeen degrees Celsius. Was that true? It felt like thirty. If it was true, then my fondness of cold appeared to have taken a leap of the ladder, since I got my powers. Or maybe it was the tension that got me all heated up. The possibilities weren't mutually exclusively. Either way, it was too warm for comfort, so I turned it down to twelve degrees.

 _*Knock, knock*_

I startled free of my contemplations. Who could that be? I softly treaded towards the door and peeked through the spy hole. It was a neighbour of mine. What could he want? Would he have overheard my altercation with Snart? That would be bad.

I opened the door and greeted him kindly.

"Are you alright, Caitlin? I heard glass breaking!" He asked concerned.

I explained to him how I had clumsily broke the window with the iron adapter piece of my vacuum cleaner. The elder nodded and gave me a dull anecdote about his daughter-in-law once breaking his favourite mug when doing the dishes, and how it had led to a row between them that still caused silent moments during visits, whenever the subject was brought up. For his standard, the story was pretty succinct. I faked a smile and bid him a good day. Luckily he was hard-of-hearing. It appeared the shattering glass was all he had heard. But before I closed the door, he suddenly turned back and pointed at my hair.

"Hey, since when are you blond?"

Surprised I picked and held a tress for my eyes, seeing it was indeed blond.

"I may not hear very well, but my eyes are still sharp as tax!"

I laughed.

"I wanted to give it a try." I replied.

I shut the door and sighed. I realized, I had lied together a complete conversation just now. I was getting better at deceiving people, yet whether or not this was a good thing, was debatable.

.

After having cleaned up the mess of my battle with Captain Cold, I had called a glassier to order a window. Until then, I taped one of the plastic curtains from my shower in front of the window. At least it wouldn't get so hot in here anymore.

Now I sat at by table, eating the microwave dinner I had prepared for myself. On the cupboard next to my couch, the glass of wine was still standing. It was a reminder of Snart and kept me angry. That and Jay's image that seemed to haunt my thoughts eternally. I knew it would benefit my powers to uphold the memory of his betrayal, although it would be nice to keep his ugly smirk away at some point. Thus far I had been so fixated on keeping him in my head, that by now it was hard to get him out.

I threw away the packages and cleaned off my plate. Then I resettled beside my dinner table. Before me lay several pieces of fruit that I had placed there with one intention only: practise dummies. I wanted to know how far the potential of my power went and what I could and could not do. Cisco told me that earth two me was able to hurl chunk of ice by freezing the atmosphere's water vapour. Since I possess her powers as well, that should mean I must be able to do what she is able to do. All that was left for me, was to find out how. And the best way to do that, is simply by getting started.

I twisted my fingers in a rotating motion to create a pocket of cold air in my hand. I had already learned this at the toilet at S.T.A.R. Labs. I pushed my palm at my first target, an apple. A plume of fog puffed out and disappeared as soon as it warmed up again. I repeated the action two more times. That didn't work. In frustration, I shot a blast of freezing air to turning the apple in an ice-cube. That was something I also learned there.

I had to try something else. I gazed at my hand absent-mindedly, as I gathered up the cold air again.

"Maybe if I…"

Instead of thrusting forward, I now made a swift, whip-like action instead. I found myself throwing thin hail at the apple that bounced off its shiny surface. The ice crystals clattering on its red skin produced a soft sound, like walking through cracking snow. I loved it. I guess I've always been kind of a winter girl. I shook my head. I needed to focus in order to get this. I had to do better. Time after time I tried to produce more than hail, to no success. I rubbed my forehead and reclined in my chair.

"Alright. Let's think this through scientifically."

What do I have and what do I try to achieve? I have hail, I want ice. Hail is ice, so I'm definitely on the right track. But I need more. How will I get more. I needed more water, thus more water vapour. I fluttered my fingers faster to wind up more air. I saw the fog appearing again, cloaking my fingers in white. Suddenly and kind of instinctively, I cramped my fingers together, as if holding an imaginary baseball. The mist followed my movement and circled into my palm. I continued by slowly pushing them further together and the air solidified, forming a sphere. My eyes widened as I felt the weight of the ice in my hand.

There it was. A chunk of ice.

I laughed and placed it on the table to have a good look at it. I tapped it gently to confirm it was real. That's ice alright. Okay. So how did I do it?

"I twisted my fingers like this."

The mist around my fingers returned.

"Then I sort of clenched my fist."

Like earlier, the fog followed my gesture and curled up in my palm.

"And then I squeezed like this."

A perfect duplication of my earlier result and compared to the previous one, they were almost identical in size. I looked at the clock. If I achieved this in less than an hour, I must be a natural. Imagine what I can learn overnight.

.

When the clock struck 1:00 am, I was getting pretty tired. My yawning was getting more frequent and my fingers were getting achy from all the unusual exercise. I abandoned my plan to practise throughout the whole night. I reckoned that catching some sleep wouldn't be so bad. I retrieved the bin and duster from underneath my sink and wiped up the remnants of fruit, that were scattered across the table and floor.

My training had gone pretty well.

I was capable of not only conjuring up snow balls, I could just as easily shoot them at speed by employing the blasts of cold like an air-soft gun. Those were the same gusts of wind I had stopped Eliza with at S.T.A.R. Labs. I also managed to create frostbite at a reasonably longer distance than I originally thought. At a distance of twenty feet, I was able to encase a pear in half an inch of ice in about three seconds. I wanted to find out the maximum range, yet my apartment wasn't bigger than this.

I changed into my pyjamas and put my clothing in the basket of dirty clothes. Subsequently, I took out clean clothes for the next day and spread them out on the stool near my bed. That would save me the trouble of having to sort that out tomorrow morning. There was one last piece of fruit laying on the table. I figured one last test before going to bed, wouldn't kill me. Perhaps a combination of my skills would be a nice finale.

I placed my feet apart, loosened my shoulders and aimed my hands for an unsuspecting apple. I doubted that my posture would improve my chance of success, yet my stance couldn't get more focussed than this.

"Alright. Goodbye apple."

In a fluent, I whirled my fingers and wound up the mist inside my hand. I had meanwhile learned that if I pulled my hand back a little, I could create an icicle instead of a ball. I propelled it with a blast of air and shot it straight through the apple's core. It was squished by the impact and it rained juice and pulp. I followed up by continuing the air flow, to freeze the flying bits. The final results was a sculpture of an exploding apple with a fountain of crystals spreading out like wings. I picked it up, and placed it on my dinner table. It was a spectacular piece of art.

Almost as spectacular, as my new found abilities.

* * *

 **! SPOILERS BELOW !**

* * *

 _ **So, I usually don't discuss episodes with you, mostly because I believe you're not really interested in my opinion about 'm. However I feel the urge to make a short remark about the 2nd episode of season 3. Not sure how many of you saw it the way I did, but it appeared to me as if in this new reality, Caitlin has attained Killer Frost skills and his hiding them from the rest of the team. This is on its own kind of neat, although I can't help seeing a similarity with this story I'm writing. To avoid people thinking I'm arrogant, I highly doubt that they took the idea from me. I just love to see how the series is going to let Cait develop/hide/use her powers. I reckoned that, if you follow this story, you're probably equally thrilled by seeing some more Killer Frost action.**_

 _ **Also, Cisco seem to be able to use his powers a lot better now too! That is going to be just awesome. Cisco is a real hero of mine, but then, I think he is meant to be just that for science nerds like myself.**_

 _ **Kind Regards,**_

 _ **J. Caesar**_


	17. The Time Wraith

_**After some well-founded concerns from some of you about the extension of this story, I have another update here. I've indeed been neglecting this storyline a bit too much. I'll try to have more frequent updates for this story!  
**_

* * *

 **17\. The Time Wraith**

When I woke up, I felt quite relaxed. Apparently those extra five minutes had done me well. I vaguely remembered hitting the snooze button in a semi-enraged bad morning mood. Now, my head was a lot clearer. I reached out and put on my watch. It was then that I was startled by the time it displayed.

 _9:15_

I was supposed to be at S.T.A.R. Labs fifteen minutes ago! How could this have happened? One look at my clock gave me my answer. It was a solid block of ice, frozen at 6.55 AM. A pool of water had formed on my nightstand as it already had begun to melt. This was the first time I had ever overslept. I went to the other room to check my phone. The others would probably be worried, mostly since I was always in time. I hadn't as much as unlocked the screen, when I was proven right. A concerned Barry busted into my apartment.

"God-damn, Barry." I cried out spooked.

I was not only frustrated that he had blandly barged down my door, I was also wearing nothing else than my underwear and a T-shirt. He soon realized this too and quickly whirled around to face my wall.

"Gosh, Caitlin. I-I'm so sorry. We-errr, we tried calling you and you didn't answer so I…" He gulped. "I rushed over to check if you were okay."

"Well, what did you conclude, now that you've had a good look?" I snapped cynically.

"I-errr… Looks fine... I mean. You _are_ fine. You're _okay_."

It was actually quite funny to have him snared in such an uncomfortable position. It made me feel powerful.

"Are you sure I looked okay? Maybe you should check again, hunh?"

He turned to address me face-to-face, yet realized again how scarcely I was dressed and looked at the wall again.

"No-no, I-I'm sure. You're fine."

I loved how he failed to handle the situation. He was too gentle for this. That was made this all the more fun.

"Why-errr… Why are you so-"

"Naked?" I filled in for him.

"Late! I was going to say _late_." He responded innocently.

"Sure you were."

"Come on, Cait…" He said, again turning back to the wall after his manners had instinctively led him to face me whilst speaking. "Cut me some slack here, okay? We were just worried. I was worried. You have to believe me, I didn't rush over here to uhm… you know…"

"Look me over?" I questioned, still acting aggrieved.

I heard him gulp again.

"Well if you must know. I just overslept."

"Really?"

"What? Can't a girl sleep out without being monitored?!" I sparked.

"Well, you've never actually done that so-"

"GET OUT!"

With a yellow buzz, Barry disappeared again. Wow, that felt good. Having him trapped like that, being the one in charge for a change. If this is how all metas felt, I understood why some of them broke bad. Truthfully, I didn't really mind him seeing me like this. Barry was pretty hot, so…

My God, what was happening to me?!

Barry was my friend. I shouldn't think of him like that. And I certainly should not have acted as I had. He was only worried about me and I shut him down like that. I was becoming a real bitch, wasn't I? With all the weird stuff that happened to us on a daily basis, who could blame him for thinking something terrible had occurred? Last night for example, Leonard Snart had broken into my apartment and threatened me. My hostility had been a complete overreaction to the situation. That happened too often lately. Would my limited patience be caused by my powers? Or was it that because of it, that I had my powers in the first place? Either way, my enmity towards everyone was reaching heights that even coffee couldn't fix anymore. I had to control it better if I were to keep using my abilities without hurting anyone. Moreover, I had to apologize to Barry. He hadn't deserved the way I had treated him just now.

And prior to all that, I had to get dressed.

.

By the time I got to S.T.A.R. Labs, it was eleven o'clock. I found the Cisco and Barry in the Cortex preparing for something. When Barry spurted away, I asked Cisco what they had planned. He explained that Barry was going back in time to ask Eobard Thawne for advice on how to get faster. He had after all, solved the secret of the speed equation and had employed tachyons to reach incredulously high velocities. Funnily enough, when he was done talking, Barry already appeared again.

"Did you even go?" I asked.

"It's coming, the time wraith."

"I'll take that as a yes." I replied.

From around the corner, a hideous, skeletal creature came flying towards us. Cisco held out the soundgun we had made. The wraith halted to see what was being pointed at it. It was going to be the last it ever saw. The gun fired a high frequency pulse, hitting the wraith in the chest. Unfortunately, it did nothing and the wraith made a kind of screeching taunt at us. This wasn't good. I remembered Barry asking Cisco and me last year to build the sound weapon, since the skeleton would inevitably return, yet we never had had anything to test it on. Now, it turned out that our work was insufficient and that we could not stop it.

The muscles in my hand tensed up, their temperature dropped. Although just when I thought it was going to attack me, it flew by us and seized Barry by the throat. His face got pale and his eyes started to blacken. My god, it was killing him! I had to do something. But that would reveal my secret, the one I had been so keen on hiding… No. Barry's life was more important.

I ran over to the wraith and closed my eyes. I recollected all my hatred. Wells. Jay. The burglar. Everything. My fingers got cold. I was glad I had practised yesterday and frankly I was still amazed by how quickly I had learned to control it. It was time to find out how effectively I would be in a real battle. A battle with something that… well, actually I didn't even know what it was. It didn't matter. Whatever it was, it was dangerous to us all and had to be stopped. I opened my eyes again. Here goes!

However I never got to it. Hartley Rathaway appeared and pushed me aside. He told me to hang tight and that he had the solution on hand. Literally. He aimed his sonic gloves at the creature and burst it with a strange low humming tone. It screamed in agony and released Barry from its vice-like grip. The wraith tried to flee, though it seemed impaired by the energy Hartley's gloves emitted. It was too late. It exploded in a cloud of black smoke.

"I suddenly realized. Low frequency, high intensity." Hartley said.

.

Over the past year, we had consulted Hartley multiple times to help us out with building the sonic device. After all, he was an expert in the field of the manipulation of sound for weaponry and he too had seen the creature in real life. Those interactions had become more frequent as the deadline had neared. These visits weren't as hostile as you might think. Quite the contrary. After we had faced the time wraith with Hartley, we had become friends again and had kept contact by exchanging emails and arranging occasional get-togethers. Of course, evil Wells was not included in them, since he and Hartley didn't like each other very much. This was due to the latter being fired for pointing out an error that the former had refused to acknowledge. Not that any of us knew at the time that Wells had implemented it with the intention to set in motion the self-destruction of the particle accelerator. Be that as it may, the three of us had been working on a project together, like in the old days. He had even accepted Cisco better after that encounter. Not that this had stopped every scientific discussion from being a match-up between them. They just weren't as inimical.

"Good thing I can never really stop thinking of a problem." Hartley said.

"Depends on the problem." Cisco argued.

"Well, if I hadn't, you wouldn't be here would you, Barry?"

"That is true." He replied.

He was staring at the microchip in his hand that contained the speed equation and how it was solved. It was _the_ answer to defeating Jay.

"Hey, Barry, can I talk to you for a second."

"Sure."

As we left the Cortex, I heard Cisco and Hartley resume their battle.

"What makes you so sure we wouldn't have figured it out?" Cisco uttered insulted.

"It didn't really seem that way to me."

"Well, I always praise myself for my gift to perform under duress."

Outside, Barry already sensed what I was going to discuss.

"I know what you're gonna say. It's fine. I shouldn't have kicked down your door like that."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry. You were just worried and that's good. I mean, with time wraiths and everything, it's only good that somebody has your back. So thank you for caring."

He made a dismissive gesture.

"Water under the bridge?" I posed.

"Of course."

He gave me a firm hug. I felt a strange sensation going through my body when he did. It wasn't attraction, or at least not in the idea of love. He just felt so warm and snug, it was like he re-energized me or something. Then he shivered, in response to which I let go of him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He replied. "Just feeling a bit cold, that's all."

"You never feel cold." I asked with a raised eyebrow, despite I knew why he did.

"Yea, I don't know. Maybe it's from the time wraith or something. That surely must have had its impact, right?"

"Yea, probably."

However, when he walked back to the Cortex, I knew that I was the cause, not the wraith. I looked at my hands. They were redder than normal. That strange feeling during our hug; I had been sapping his energy! That was what had resulted in the attraction. Speed and cold are opposites, and like the poles on a magnet, we interact when we were close enough to each other. A desperation overcame me. I didn't want to hurt Barry, yet a mere touch was apparently enough to have a tangible effect on him. This was bad. I had to keep my distance from him in the future. Who knows what else I might do to him if I didn't.


	18. Zoom's Return

_**Hey all. Happy Holidays from me!**_

* * *

 **18\. Zoom's Return**

A week had passed since Barry's time travel. We had developed the tachyon enhancer from the schematics that Eobard Thawne had provided him. Today's test run had finished a few moments ago and Barry's results were close to immeasurable. According to the data, he did not just match Zoom in speed. He topped it, fairly. Additionally, Cisco had been adjusting Reverb's glasses to have them comply with his own parameters. This was after all another requirement for Barry could fight Zoom. With the breaches closed, it was up to Cisco to reopen them again. Harry had all the while been strongly against the idea, although had come to realize that Barry was even more stubborn than he himself. Eventually he had given in, which had been good news. He had more experience with tachyons than any of us and with his aid, the instrument was functional in a snap. Also, his assistance with regard to the frequency differences between earths one and two for Cisco's goggles, had fairly increased productivity.

This huge amount of complex science was fortunate for me as well. With so many other things to think about, everybody had forgotten about the thief in the alley. With Captain Cold incapable of being the culprit, I had yet to think of a way to cover it up. The current events gave me more time to devise of way to do that. Until I was ready to tell them of course. Because I _would_ tell them about everything in the end. They were my best friends and I was certain that I could trust them with everything. However, if that were true, why hadn't I told them from the start. If I was one hundred percent sure that I could confide in them my every secret, why hadn't I already? I remembered the dream very well. The spiteful gazes, the accidental injuries, Barry phasing his hand through my chest.

Ridiculous. That wasn't reality! Barry had never killed anyone, and he certainly wouldn't kill me. Unless I tried to kill him. Not intentionally obviously, but by accident. Like in that dream. Suppose I lost control of my powers, then what? How could I be restrained? If I could turn things into ice, no prison could hold me. So then there would only be a single way to keep me at bay. I had to-

"Die!"

Cisco startled me from my thoughts.

"What did you say?" I asked confused.

"Hmm? Oh, I said: hopefully I can choose the universe and it won't be like rolling a die. You know, there are a lot of other earths out there." He laughed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You look a bit pale." He said, examining my facial colours.

"I'm tired, that's all."

"Okay, well, you'd better get yourself another cup 'a coffee then. Barry and I are gonna open the breach and when that happens, we need all our attention for when Jay comes through."

I thanked him for the advice and walked via the coffee maker to the Thawne's hidden chamber. I realized that the name Jay still mentally pained me due the memory of all the lies. The grief for seeing him get killed, had long subsided. I still wondered sometimes how he had accomplished it, although recollecting the speed-mirage trick of the man in yellow, there was probably a logical explanation. Regardless of how he did it exactly, it was an unlimited source of tragedy and hatred and with it, a source of my power; the one thing I could him be grateful for.

From inside the secret room, we had no idea what was going on, not until they were inside S.T.A.R. Labs. Harry had adjusted the surveillance cameras to high-speed to allow us to observe their interaction. We would have some images of how the battle unfolded.

As could be expected, not long after Cisco created the portal, Zoom and Barry were wrestling through S.T.A.R. Labs. The crackling sounds that their lightning tails produced could be heard throughout the entire building. There didn't appear to be a clear winning side for a couple of minutes. Then Barry seemed to take the upper hand. Or at least so we thought. The cameras might be adapted to high velocities, both speedsters were going faster than that, thus faint pictures was all we had. In our calculations, it sure wouldn't have been an easy fight, yet for Flash standards, it was taking too long. And that worked not only on my nerves.

"We gotta help him." Joe posed.

"No! If you go out there, Zoom will just use you to get Barry!" Harry reasoned.

"He's right! We gotta stay put and trust that Barry will beat him!" Jesse added.

"You make it sound easy. Lean back while he's getting punched up."

And Joe was right. From the looks of the footage, Barry was not able to beat him any time soon.

"I've had enough!" Joe roared and he unlocked the door.

Harry tried to stop him, but Joe reacted instinctively by giving him a swift and strong thwack on the nose with his elbow. He then seized Harry's plasma blaster and spurted out of the room.

"You have to stop him!" Jesse hissed panicked, while she lifted Harry back on his feet.

I followed Joe out of the room and to the cortex, however once I got there, he was gone. I looked at the computer that displayed the practice room. The combination of yellow and blue sparks filled it almost entirely. I checked the other cameras in the building to find Joe. Hopefully he wouldn't simply barge in there, it would get him killed. Sadly, as I located him in the elevator, it appeared as though he was going to do just that. I phoned Cisco, who was halfway back to S.T.A.R. Labs. I urged him to explain me how to shut down all elevators. With him on speaker, I followed his instructions exactly. I was glad I had been teaching myself some computer basics lately; that made understanding him a lot easier. Barely in time, I managed to cut the power. Much to Joe's nuisance, he got stuck halfway in between the last floor and that of the practice room. Even after forcing open the doors, he still couldn't get out. I sighed relieved.

"Good job, Cisco." I thanked him and hung up.

Meanwhile Barry and Jay continued to appear evenly matched. I wondered how much had happened down there since the battle had begun. To us it had been maybe ten to fifteen minutes now, however with everything moving so much faster, much more went on in a smaller timeframe. To them, it might seem as if hours had passed. Joe might have been reckless in wanting to rush in, yet in saying that we needed to give Barry a little aid, he was more than right. The problem was, none of us were equipped to deal with the matter. If only there were another speedster…

My eye drifted off to the pipeline's surveillance. That was it! I ran to the storage room, snatched the required vial from one of the shelves and ran down the stairs. Once there, I lifted the iron screen of Eliza Harmon's cell. She glared at me bitterly.

"Well, well. If it isn't my old friend."

"Eliza, we need your help."

"Ha! That's a good one. First you freeze me, then you lock me up and now you expect me to _help_ you?"

"Look, I know that you're angry with me, and that's fair, but upstairs is a man that wants to kill everyone on this planet. That includes you."

"Really? And who is this man?"

"Does it matter?"

She shrugged.

"Not really. But why do you need me? Why can't your 'Flash' take care of it?" She mocked.

"He can, but he needs some help since it appears to be a tie."

She visibly processed the information I provided her. It was evident that see contemplated the idea of running away the moment I opened this door. However, with the elevators blocked, the staircase would lead her right past the training room and I knew her curiosity would then draw her in there. She was, underneath ´Trajectory', still a scientist with a passion for unveiling new things.

"Interesting. This man is also a speedster?"

"Yes, and like you he uses V9, so'll be able to go just as fast as he. That's why you are the only one here that can make a difference."

"I see. And what do I get in return for this favour?"

"We'll give you the formula for the V9 and let you go. If you of course promise not to use it for criminal purposes."

Again, she paced slowly in circles around the walls of her confinement, musing over the possibilities of having the formula herself. At least, that was what I thought.

"Did you forgot I already have that formula?"

I cursed myself for forgetting this. Although there was not a moment to waste. With Barry and Zoom fighting upstairs, I had to make sure she would accept the offer.

"No, I didn't. But isn't the offer of your freedom equally appealing?" I emphasized.

Luckily, she seemed to agree with me on that.

"Alright, Caity, you got yourself a deal. Where are they?"

"One floor above us."

I unlocked the door and handed her the last syringe with V9 from our stock. She injected herself, sighed endeared by V9's sensation and buzzed off in the blink of an eye. I ran up the stairs after her. By the time I reached the door, she was already inside. She stood in between Barry and Jay. They were talking, though I couldn't hear what they said nor see them very well. I remembered the displays in the Cortex and hurried myself there. I puffed exhausted from all the stairs, albeit my overview of the scene was much better here, and I was able to follow their conversation.

"So V9 gave you your speed?" Zoom's demonic voice sounded genuinely intrigued.

"It was the best decision of my life." Eliza confirmed.

"I am familiar with the effects of V9, yet I never knew that it was able to affect normal people as well."

"But why are you here?!" Barry intervened agitated.

She looked at him playfully.

"Our Caity send me up here to solve the issue you boys have."

"Is that so?" Zoom taunted. "Then what are we waiting for?"

I cheered on the inside when I saw Flash and Trajectory combine their efforts to overcome Zoom. In a few seconds, the fight was over and Jay was cornered, seemingly with an injury to his arm. He also had 'the boot' strapped to his leg, pinning him to the ground; Barry held the launcher in his hands.

"We got you now." Barry stated.

"That was a great battle, I admit. But you failed to see that in letting you win this match, I won the war." He replied obscurely.

Puzzled by his strange anecdote, I got the shock of my life when Eliza suddenly lashed out at Barry's right leg. When he collapsed, she walked over to him and took the weapon from him. Meanwhile Zoom monitored the interaction from a distance. His mask hid any emotions, thus I wasn't sure how he really reacted to what unfolded. I didn't think about it too much as my eyes were glued to, what I believed to be a friend of mine, now backstabbing my other friend.

"What. Eliza? Why?" Barry asked, equally stunned as I myself.

She laughed and deactivated the boot with a button from the main gun, making the metal ring fall inertly from Jay's leg.

"You see, helping you would be the right thing to do." Eliza narrated. "But I'm so bored with doing what's right. I want to do something really _fun_. And with the help of this guy, getting rid of you might be just that."


	19. Scuffles

**_Hey all. I'm a little late but still I'd like to wish you all a Happy 2017. I meant to update earlier, but I noticed Mattia18's review saying that the chapters could be longer. I agree, but the idea of smaller chapters was so that I could update more often. However, seeing as I keep failing to do just that, I might as well make them a tad longer. Hence I elongated this chapter a by about 1k words. Hopefully that didn't affect the quality. Please enjoy!_  
**

* * *

 **19\. Scuffles**

"No-no-no-no-no." I stammered.

What had I done. I thought Eliza would help us, but instead she had joined forces with Zoom. This was bad, so very bad. In interfering like I had, things had gotten much worse, perhaps even deadly for Barry. There was only one way to fix this. I had to get down there and try to stop them with my own powers. I rushed back down to the practice room, trying to ignore my already hampered breathing. By now, sweat ran down my back like a waterfall. I couldn't tell if it was from the physical exertion or the nerves. What if was too late to stop them?

It took me as little as five minutes to reach their floor again, yet every minute was another hour when it came to speedster combat. Without thinking, I slammed open the door and walked in. What I didn't know until then, was what meanwhile had occurred. Eliza was flat on the floor and Zoom was chasing Barry again. Or was it the other way around? Without the high-speed cameras to help me, I couldn't really tell.

Though Eliza had been flat on the ground for a moment, I soon felt a familiar grip on my shoulder and a heel being planted in my the hollow of my knee, making me drop to me knees. Shortly thereafter, my arm were twisted and my wrist were pressed against my lower back.

"Right on time as always, Caity."

I realized that this was my second mistake today. By blandly walking in to the fray, I had given them another advantage: a hostage. The one thing I had tried to prevent Joe from doing.

"Alright Flash, time to surrender yourself." She pulled my hair, making me draw a painful expression. "Or I will kill your friend!"

The battle was instantaneously brought to a halt. Barry stood with his hands in the air and pleaded for my release.

"Smart choice. He's all yours." She turned to Zoom.

I had no idea what Jay made of this situation; as before the mask hid all his emotions. After a few seconds, he nodded approvingly, followed by swiftly reloading the 'boot' and strapping Barry to the ground with it.

"I told you before, Flash. It's time you give me what I need." His distorted voice resounded.

Knowing the man underneath, this pitiful pretence of a malevolent demon made me think even less of him. The only way he could feel like a man, was by wearing that suit and by inciting fear in others. That testified of an intense lack of self-confidence. He might be strong through his speed, mentally, he was a weak hearted coward.

"What are you waiting for. KILL HIM!" Eliza shouted.

Zoom turned to her slowly.

"There will be no killing before I get what I came for." He faced Barry again. "And then there will be nobody left to stop me."

"To stop us, you mean." Eliza corrected him.

A voice in my head whispered that she made a serious mistake by saying that. It felt almost like a scene from a cartoon. And as expected, Zoom.

"No. I meant _me_."

Eliza frowned.

"What are you talking about. I thought we were in on this together?"

Zoom laughed scornfully, visibly insulting her, as was probably his intention.

"Don't think that, just because you shot yourself with V9, you can keep up with me."

Eliza wanted to give him a firm reply, but Zoom wasn't done mocking her.

"The fact that you possess no speed without it, makes you nothing more than a speed-junkie. Running around, waiting for your next shot."

She charged at him, yet as I had correctly foreseen, this entire conversation was planned from the start. Zoom was waiting for her and despite the battle expiring at too high a velocity for me to follow, the outcome was evident. Eliza, lying on the floor, gasping for breath, beaten up like a practise dummy. Zoom stood almost completely motionless, as he watched her struggle for air.

"Consider this to be your first and final warning. You play by my rules, or you don't play at all."

Eliza was too exhausted to give him an answer.

"Lock _her_ up downstairs, and check for the others. They should be in the building too."

Zoom walked back to Barry, yet what he did, I couldn't see anymore. I flew down the stairs and ended up in Eliza's cell in the pipeline.

"Isn't it funny, how the scene is reversed?" She taunted me with a smirk.

"Almost as funny as how your betrayal backfired on you." I replied.

The curvature of her mouth sank into its original stern form. If I could get her angry enough to open the cell, I might be able to take her out with my powers. Or it would get me killed. Either way, I had to do something before my mistakes would get all of us killed.

"I thought you wanted to be the one in command?"

"I _am_ in command!" She cried back.

"Ha. Is that what you called it? It sounded to me like you were following orders after you got your ass kicked …"

She turned around to ignore my words and spurt away, so I dealt a final blow.

"…a _second_ time."

As if struck by lightning, she whirled around to spear me with her gaze again. That was just the hatred I had been hoping to summon.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me." I replied.

Her eyes spat fire at my through her mask. Taunting her was easier than I thought, and way more fun than I imagined.

"You got a lot of words for someone in a cage." She retorted.

"That someone did kick your ass last time. Remember that? The cold sensation of defeat." I smirked.

She pushed her tongue into her cheek, whilst looking me over. She was weighing her chances, that was certain. I had to give her one last push, to get her over the edge.

"You want to battle again? Oh wait, how dumb of me, you can't. Zoom doesn't want you to, and we all know how much you like to follow orders!"

She was so worked up, that she, instead of opening the door by clicking, destroyed the panel with her fist. It would take the door a couple of seconds to open. I did a step back, fortified my stance and closed my eyes. When I clenched my fists, the cold tingling was like an old friend. Until now, I hadn't realized how much I had yearned for the possibility of using them again. My doubts ebbed away. I reopened my eyes. This wasn't going to be a fair fight. I was going to annihilate her.

 _*Clunk*_

The door was open. We stared at each other silently. I pierced her eyes with my own and she returned me the favour. For me it was the only place where I could see if she would make her move. If I had to deduce it from the rest of her, I would be too late to act on it. Moments passed silently without our pupils even shifting an inch, as if they were glued together. Suddenly, I noticed a change in hers. I didn't know what exactly, some kind of glistening. All my instincts told me this would be the moment. She was going to attack.

I crouched and slammed my palms onto the floor. The ice expanded from me, like water being poured out of a bucket. The blueish glow climbed up the walls and into the hall outside. In less than a fraction of a second, the pipeline had become an icy palace in which I was its queen. In the top of my eyes, I noted a light. It was the electric trail of Eliza's movements. My gut had been correct, she did attack. My quick response had impeded that however. She failed to brake in time and lost her grip on the floor. Unfortunately, I had failed to account for her path leading straight towards me. She might have lost her footing, she was now sliding towards me with the speed of a car.

I got rammed and was thrown on my back upon impact. Eliza was worse off. She was send flying over me and ended up with her face against the wall of the cell. Knocked unconscious, I got up and left the cell to imprison her again. I cursed when I recollected that the shattered lock made that impossible. There was no time to try doing it manually. Barry needed my help _now_.

I heard Eliza moan. She was still a threat, was she not? I mused over my possibilities. I had no idea how to close the door manually, only that I could be done. Figuring it out might take one minute or twenty. But if I left her here, she would revive and seek payback. I had to decide quickly. A dark voice whispered in the back of my mind and presented me with a third option. I could just… I walked over to her and with a flick of my hand, I summoned an icicle. She had been trouble ever since she took V9. The safest thing for us all, was to take her out permanently, wasn't it? I raised the frozen dagger above my head, ready to plunge it into the precise location of her heart. Then it dawned on me what I was doing.

"My God, what am I doing?" I let out, startled by myself.

I immediately dropped the icicle. What was I thinking? How did I even consider it? No matter what harm she had done. I couldn't kill someone intentionally. That wasn't like me. Killing a robber accidently was one thing, killing someone on purpose. The actual goal to end someone's life, that was murder! No. I reclined from Eliza's unconscious body further and further. For a moment I had nearly done it again. I was far more dangerous than I ever imagined I could be. These powers were twisting my mind, and not in the right way.

But whatever was happening to me had to wait. Barry was still in trouble. I quickly turned around to hurry myself up the, by now familiar, stairs and ran like I had never done before, however like before it took longer than I wanted it to. Once there, I found Barry where I left him, tethered to the floor by the boot's chains. Jay was nowhere. The fatigue began to grow on me, from all the beatings and exercise of the past hour. Despite it, I hurried myself to him to the best of my capabilities.

"Caitlin! Are you alright? How did you escape?" He let out stunned by my arrival.

I looked around to find the launching system with which I could disable the ring that held him. It was nowhere to be seen.

"I'll explain later, I have to get you out of this."

"No Caitlin, there's no time. Zoom is still here. You have to leave before he finds out you ran!"

I shook my head frantically.

"No way. I got you into this, I can't walk away now."

He rubbed his forehead confused for a moment and readdressed me in a different tone.

"You caused this, what do you mean?"

"I set Eliza free in order to help you. Instead, she turned on us."

"You couldn't have known that."

"That doesn't matter. I caused this. I have to get you out. Now where is that-"

With a mind-blowing force, I was flung over Barry and landed on the solid floor. Upon my attempt to get up, it happened again, and again. It wasn't until after five or six flying lessons, that I was given some time to gasp for some air. My body hurt everywhere, even in places where I didn't know it was possible, and that was saying something considering my anatomic education.

"How do _you_ like getting your ass kicked, Caity?"

It was Eliza. I knew I should've just killed her when I had the chance. Deep within, my rage reawakened and the veins in my hands cooled down consequently.

"You see, Zoom forbid me to kill him…" She pointed at Barry.

She then smirked and aligned her finger with me.

"… but I can't remember anything about you."

As if her shadow had come to life, Zoom emerged behind her. He stood so close behind her so fast, it gave me an even greater scare than he had ever done. He whispered in her ear, her eyes widening with anxiety. She had not anticipated this sudden entrance either.

"I told you there would be no killing until I got what I came for. If your memory can't support you in what I meant by _final warning_ , then perhaps I should support my words with actions _._ "

A sickening sound of cracking bones filled the room and Eliza's face turned pale. Her eyes never broke their contact with mine as the energy within them faded away. There was but a dark void that occupied her pupils by the time Zoom pulled his claw from her chest. She collapsed on the floor like a puppet whose strings were cut and no longer had the strength to stand upright. As I watched her motionless body in shock, Zoom resumed his speech as if it was completely natural what he had done.

"Interesting isn't it, what V9 can do to a person? It can grant you the power of the speedforce, or it can take it away from you." He said, referring first to Eliza and then to himself.

He dashed in front of Barry, removed his mask and crouched next to him.

"Now then. It's time that I got what I came for. Harrison and his daughter are already waiting for us in the Cortex."

He grabbed Barry tightly by the shoulder and severed the electric ring around Barry's thigh.

"Shall we?"

"Stop!"

He looked at me surprised.

"I will not let you do this."

"Whaw. This is unexpected. And how exactly will you stop me, Caitlin?"

The blast of frost came equally unexpected, and within a matter of seconds, Jay was encased in ice and fell onto the floor, paralyzed. I looked at my hands, although nothing indicated that I had performed any action. And that I was indeed not the one to have done it, was proven by the blue-goggled man that stepped out of the shadows a little further behind Zoom.

"Sorry, I just love spoiling other people's parties." Leonard Snart commented dryly.


	20. Zoom's Secret

**20\. Zoom's Secret**

"Leonard. What are you doing here?" Barry asked.

"Saving your life, apparently."

Zoom groaned and tried to vibrate himself from the ice. Barry knocked him out before he could gain any result.

"I noticed…" He continued. "But why?"

Leonard walked over to the unconscious body and kicked it with his foot to ascertain its state.

"Call it a fortunate coincidence."

"Barry!"

Cisco and Harry came running towards us from the stairs. They were both equally surprised by Snart's presence.

"Did you do that?" Cisco asked, pointing at the frozen speedster on the floor.

Leonard responded by letting his eyebrows jump up and down. Cisco complimented his timing. Harry was more interested in the cold gun.

"That's an interesting weapon you have there, Mister Mayor." He said.

"Mayor? Now that's a kind of low I have yet to achieve."

Harry whispered a question to Cisco, who answered by shaking his head. Barry had told me that Leonard Snart was the mayor on earth two and that his friend Mick Rory, was his most important competition there. It was ironic how many different our doubles were on earth two. How many had gone from good to evil and vice versa. Me and Cisco were bad here, but evil there. And Snart and Rory were bad here, but good there. Imagine what would happen if we were to trade and if we were to place all good guys on one earth. Would that universe become a Utopia?

"Actually, I build that weapon." Cisco said proudly.

"Really? Than why does _he_ have it?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, Cisco, elaborate on why _I_ have _your_ gun." Leonard smirked.

Cisco head turned red.

"Could I have a look at it?" Harry asked, already reaching for the gun.

"Sorry. If you don't mind, I don't like to be separated from the thing that keeps me alive. Besides, I think your friend is waking up."

Zoom was indeed starting to regain consciousness and most of the ice that held him, had melted. Barry buzzed off and locked Jay into the pipeline. He returned a minute later, complaining that he had to close the cell manually and that there was ice everywhere.

"I guess that was your work too?" He asked Leonard.

The addressed man eyed me for a moment. I wasn't afraid of the idea of him spilling my secret to everyone. He would not give away the leverage he had over me so blandly. Nonetheless, he could and so I shook my head almost unnoticeably. He smiled.

"Ice is my trademark, in case you forgot."

"And the lock?" Cisco wondered.

Leonard shrugged.

"Collateral damage. The clock was ticking, didn't know how else to open the door."

"You could've just pressed the 'open' button." Cisco remarked irritated.

"To complicated. This was faster."

Cisco uttered another angry sigh prior to going downstairs to fix the lock. Not that we would ever want to open that door, but being able to electronically monitor the prison, was handy. That, and Cisco couldn't bear unfinished work, a trait that I shared with him.

"Anyway, I'm running late for my business. I wish you all a good day."

"What business?" Barry called after him. "Snart?!"

"Until next time, Barry." He replied and left the room via the staircase.

.

I sat in my desk chair and watched Jay wake up in the cell. He tested if he could phase through the walls or if he could shatter the glass. He tried multiple things, but none of them worked. I smiled. He was stuck there, and he was going to be stuck there forever. It was curious how many different speedsters this one particular cell has contained so far. First Eobard Thawne, the Eliza, now Zoom. Nonetheless, they had all deserved it. Especially this monster.

Everyone in the Cortex was quiet. With Zoom defeated, there was a certain hollow feeling. I sensed it too. Every of our moves for the past months had been for the ultimate goal to defeat him. Now that we had, we were without purpose. Although we had won, there wasn't a real victory mood either. I think it was because eventually, Snart had been the one to defeat Zoom. He hadn't partaken in any of our efforts, however had simply taken the menace down with his gun. How had we not thought of this ourselves? How had I not thought of this? Cold and speed were opposites. And cold is what I was nowadays. Would that make me Zoom's nemesis? Or maybe Barry's?

"Are you sure he can't get out?" Harry broke the silence.

"Don't worry, that cell has held a man that was even faster than Zoom." Barry reassured him, referring to Thawne.

"I still think we should just kill him." Joe said.

I dared not to argue with that. Time after time, Jay had proven himself to be nothing less of a murdering beast, remorseless and inhumane. The world would not miss him. I was glad that Joe wasn't mad with me for locking him up in the elevator. He understood that I had just wanted to keep him safe. What he was mad about, was me going in myself instead. _As little as I can do in a speedster battle, you can do even less._ His exact words. If he knew the truth, he'd not say things like that. I had won every scuffle I had Eliza. Not that it mattered, she was dead now anyway, and as much as I'd like to say otherwise, I wouldn't be missing her. The V9 had made her just like Zoom, and the universe could hardly bear a single one.

"That's not who we are, Joe, you know that." Barry replied.

"Well, maybe we should be." I uttered softly.

"What did you say, Caitlin?"

"I said, he's awake should you want to talk with him."

He walked over to me and looked over my shoulder at the screen. Having him in this close proximity made me a little nervous. He didn't seem to notice, though I couldn't help wonder if he would be able to somehow sense my abilities if he got close enough. Probably not, but I was wise enough not to rule out anything until proven otherwise.

"Yeah, I think I'll have a word with him."

He spurted off from the Cortex. I saw him reappear in the pipeline, lifting the metal fence from Jay's prison. I redirected the images to the main screen so that we could all see it.

"Looks like I won, Jay."

Jay laughed.

"Our match is far from over Barry."

"How so?"

"I'm still alive. And as long as I am, neither you…" He pointed straight at us through the camera. "nor them are safe."

Barry scoffed and pointed out the current situation which he was in Jay observed the cell as if he hadn't noticed it until then. Finally he drew a fiendish grin.

"You should know Barry, that you can't lock up the darkness."

Barry also observed Jay's prison as if to make sure that it was what it was.

"Well, this appears quite locked up to me."

Then he summoned the barrier back down and re-emerged into the Cortex.

"Not the best final one-liner, but still nice!" Cisco high fived Barry when he returned.

Barry didn't seem too happy though, and I knew why. In all the encounters we had had with criminals, they all lost their sassy attitude once we had locked them up. The ones that hadn't, like Thawne and Snart, had been – similar to Jay just now – confident that they would escape. And they all had. These statistics were an undeniable warning sign.

"Allen, relax. " Harry said, having seen the same thing as I had. " You said it yourself, that cell will hold him. And as long as we don't dig our own grave, he's not going to get out of there."

"Dig our own grave?" I asked.

"Predicaments like these always create their own outcome. The hearer will work so hard to prevent it from happening, that in the process they cause that which they tried to avoid."

That made sense. Doing nothing was perhaps indeed the wisest choice. But be that as it may, I couldn't fight off the inclination to have a word with him when everyone had left.

.

At six, Barry and I were the last two to leave S.T.A.R. Labs. When I turned off the lights and closed the door behind us. He gave me the keys to lock the door. When I got into my car, he ran home. I waited five minutes to be sure he wouldn't return. Then I checked the seemingly empty parking lot again to make sure that I was alone. It satisfied me to see that I was. I stepped out of my car and walked over to the door. With a click, I reopened it and inside, I deactivated the alarm. I hung my coat over my chair in the Cortex and rebooted my pc. I wanted to check on Jay first. He was lying in the centre of his cell, with his arms crossed behind his head and one foot over the other. Good. He didn't seem to expect any visitors.

Prior to facing him, there was one little thing I had to check. I went over to Harry's room and booted up his laptop. His password was easy. I had guessed it to include his daughter's name, and when I had spied on him whilst he had entered it, it turned out to have been her name plus her year of birth. I opened his database and entered the name in question.

 _Hunter Zolomon._

The results astonished me. As I had suspected, the person downstairs was _not_ Jay Garrick. It hadn't been his real name. So even his name had been a lie. That corresponded with his doppelganger having a different name. Apparently, Zoom's real name was Hunter Zolomon. A boy with a traumatizing youth, having seen his mother being killed… By his father no less. Unbelievable. I almost felt pity for him. Almost.

I shut down the computer and descended to the pipeline. In front of his cell, I took a deep breath and flicked the switch to remove the steel barrier. He didn't even bother to turn his head to check who I was. I had assumed that he didn't know that I would be coming. The opposite appeared to be true.

"I figured you'd wait for everyone to leave." He said.

"You knew I'd come?"

He raised himself up to sit upright. I noticed a curiosity in his eyes and looked at me.

"Caitlin. What an unexpected treat."

I had been too hasty with my conclusions. He hadn't expected me after all.

"Really?"

He examined me intrigued and I noticed a second change in his attitude. It made me uncertain, even more so when I heard his next words.

"There's something different about you."

Darn it. Snart knowing about it was already one villain too many with that pivotal knowledge. He mustn't be allowed to find out as well.

"I rechecked your name…" I changed the subject. "Hunter Zolomon."

The intrigued expression vanished and he stood up. He walked over to the glass so and leaned against it like I had seen so many of our prisoners do.

"How'd you know?" He questioned.

"You showed me your _real_ doppelganger, remember? That guy in the park?"

He took a second to recollect the event and grinned.

"I did…" He said, pausing for another moment. "And you asked Harrison Wells about me?"

"Actually I hacked his laptop and found out myself."

His grin widened.

"You're a smart girl, Caitlin. That's what I like about you."

Was he actually flirting with me right now? Good God.

"Flattery won't get you out."

He shrugged.

"It's only the truth."

"Ha. The truth. You haven't told me a single true word since I met you. But not anymore. I know your every secret now, Hunter Zolomon."

He pierced my pupils with his own for a moment. It frightened me, though I stood my ground. I really had puzzled it all out now. And yet, in his pupils, I detected a unnerving confidence. As if there was something I had overlooked.

"Do you?" He asked, turning his back to me.

He confirmed it, there was something I had missed. It must have something to do with what he said to Barry earlier. Something with his imminent escape. A plan of some sort, a proverbial trapdoor through which he could set himself loose. I had to find out what this plan was.

"You disagree?"

He snorted amused.

"Oh, Caitlin. I've got a secret, that would change your life."

"Yeah? Like what? A hidden love for poetry?" I replied.

"Cynicism. That's a side of you I didn't know." He said, looking me over.

"Then what is this life-changing secret?" I replied airily to avoid readdressing my altered personality.

"You remember the day the skies parted?"

He waited for me to think back. That didn't take me very long, I was able to visualize the scene like it was yesterday. The swirling vortex in the air, Barry running into it, Firestorm detonating in the centre, losing Ronnie. The memory stung my heart and I didn't want him to see me cry.

"What of it?" I responded impatiently.

"The man falling from the centre."

"Yea-yea, I know. Professor Stein. Barry caught him."

He perked up his brows and opened his mouth widely.

"Ah, but Martin Stein fell on _your_ earth."

I couldn't follow him. What was he talking about.

"My earth?"

"Exactly. The metahuman that exploded in the middle of the vortex, the one you call Firestorm… He consisted of _two_ people."

"Yes, I know! Stein and Ronnie. For God's sake, skip to the end already." I sparked, having lost my patience.

He smirked.

"Fine. When he split himself into two, the energy released closed the breach and shot both men in opposite directions. Martin Stein ended up on your earth. But on _my_ earth, it was your fiancé that came down."


	21. A Deal With The Devil

**21\. A Deal With The Devil**

"Ronnie…" I spoke softly.

It hadn't been that long since I had lost him, and yet, it felt ages ago. I knew I couldn't trust Hunter on his word, but what said wasn't that far-fetched. If the fission of firestorm happened in the centre of the first breach, and Martin Stein was flung our side, logic supported the possibility that Ronnie had gone the other way. But if Hunter knew that it was Ronnie who had fell on his earth, he must have spoken with him.

"What happened to him?"

With his message sinking in, he had taken the liberty to sit down, comfortably leaning against the back wall.

"Like I said, he fell."

"I mean afterwards!" I sparked impatiently.

He grinned.

"Well, since I'm the fastest man alive, I was the first to meet him. And boy, was I surprised to see another Ronald Raymond. Have you ever seen a doppelganger, Caitlin? I mean, one from earth two?"

I was not interested in small talk like this with him, though I knew I had to play nice to find out what had happened to my fiancée.

"Of course, Harrison Wells, remember?"

"Oh yes, I had almost forgot about him. They're nothing alike, are they? The doubles?"

I shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. The first one turned out not to be Harrison Wells in the first place."

He nodded understandingly, remembering our stories of Eobard Thawne.

"Well. Let's just say that your earth's Ronald and mine couldn't have been more different. And like all of you, he was gullible enough to believe I was a good guy. After he had explained to me what had befallen him, I understood that in erasing the speedster from existence, the barriers between our worlds had been weakened. The portals that you call breaches, are actually the cracks through which people like Barry and me can slip to alternate universes."

He relived the entire fascination of the moment when he had found out how this had all come to pass. I could see the twinkle in his eyes. It was the scientist in him that had solved a problem of immense difficulty, and realized that his solution added up with all integers of the issue in question. But I wasn't talking to him for a lesson in the physics of the universe.

"And after you heard Ronnie out?" I asked.

My query stirred him free from the recollection of his theory.

"Well, as you know from experience with Stein, neither of 'm does so well without their other half. After a few days, he started showing the signs of nuclear destabilization."

"Oh my God. Are you saying he-"

"No Caitlin, he hasn't exploded. Although to be honest, that would've been interesting to see. Just imagine, a human going into nuclear meltdown. How much radiation would it-"

My patience growing thin and I slammed my fist on the window.

"So is he still alive or not?!" I interrupted him.

Again, a diabolical grin appeared on his face. He stood up and walked towards the glass. Instinctively, I took a step back.

"I'd love to tell you, on one condition… and I think you know what that is."

I bit my lip as it wasn't hard to guess.

"You want me to open the door."

He smiled.

"I already said you were a smart girl."

.

That night, I couldn't sleep. The thought of Ronnie being held captive somewhere on earth two prevented it. I had no clue where he was being held, or even if what Hunter had said was true. And not in a million years would I set him free. This whole story about Ronnie was undoubtedly made up anyway. Probably his last attempt it toying with my emotions. Ronnie was gone, he disappeared in the vortex. And if he had survived, Zoom would've killed him after his use had been depleted. But suppose that it was true, and I was doing nothing to find him…

I turned on my other side to look at the clock. 5:00 AM. I had been awake for three hours straight now. This wasn't working. I _had_ to find out whether Hunter was lying or not. The question was, how to do that. If only I could go to earth two myself, but I couldn't go through the breach. I would need Barry's help, yet my fear of him sensing my powers the way I sensed his, made me subconsciously reluctant to do so. The only solution was to talk with Zoom again.

I got up, showered quickly and got dressed. In the parking lot, I had a nasty surprise waiting for me as I was ambushed by my latest fan, Leonard Snart.

"Well. What got you up so late?"

I wondered if he had he been waiting out here all night, or just happened to cross me right now.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Well you know what they say about the early bird." He replied stoically.

"Is there something you wanted, or are you just stalking me?" I snapped.

"If you put it like that, it almost sounds like a bad thing."

I glared at him, much to his satisfaction. Leonard Snart was a person that enjoyed irritating others. I knew very few of them, mostly because I gave them a wide berth. I never understood how such people had friends at all.

"What I want is obvious, you to clear my name. Only you'll freeze me if I ask that so that rules out this option."

"So?"

"So I have a proposition for you. If I take the fall for your little 'accident', I get to call on you every now and then if I have need of your… abilities."

"You mean a blackmail?" I replied, perking up an eyebrow.

"I'd like to think of it as a business arrangement."

"And what if I just kill you now?" I asked with an unkind smile on my face.

My hands cooled down on cue as I had learned to do. Frankly, it was an honest question. Why didn't I kill him? I've already been over the reasons why nobody would miss him, so what kept me?

"You could, but then my friend Mick will be forced to deliver the video of it happening."

I looked up surprised when I noticed the deranged pyromaniac coming up behind me.

"Say cheese." He grumbled amused with his low voice.

So that kept me. I weighed my chances. If I took out Snart first, Rory would scorch me with his flamethrower. However, Snart wasn't capable of hurting me with _his_ gun, so if I took out Rory first, it could work. Unless one of them would run away. I'd be unable to stop him if I had my attention on the other. Maybe it wouldn't even come that far. Snart might be bold at times, he never was unless he had carefully calculated every possibility. Like a chess-player, he always seemed to have thought five moves ahead and have a response for every outcome. He knew he had me over a barrel.

"Fine." I gave in. "As long as your amount of favours remains limited."

"You have my word."

I got into my car and fired up the engine. I was about to drive off when suddenly, the two thugs entered my vehicle, settling themselves on the backseat. I glanced at them through the rear-view mirror.

"Oh yeah, first favour. Mick and I are late for meeting, because of our detour by your house. You wouldn't mind dropping us off somewhere?"

I sighed, knowing this would only be the beginning. The first chance I would have at killing them both, I wouldn't hesitate, that was certain. And no moral reluctance would be able to stop me.

.

After dropping off my unwanted passengers at some kind of warehouse, I drove to S.T.A.R. Labs. If involuntary taxiing would be the sole price to keep their mouths shut, then it wouldn't be so bad. Undeniably though, these 'favours' would grow, gradually becoming more and more morally conflicting. One day, it would lead to me refusing and then I would not only be blackmailed with their knowledge of my powers, but also with all the errands I would have run for them. This was undoubtedly what Snart had in mind. To tighten his grip on me further and further. That was something I needed to avoid.

As was natural at this hour, I was the first to arrive. Whilst unlocking the door, I realized how lucky I was to still have the keys from yesterday. Else getting in would've been a real pain. That hadn't occurred to me until just now. What would I have done if I hadn't had the keys?

I shook my head to free myself from these ponderings. I already had too many existing troubles to start worrying about those that could have been.

Inside, I settled in my chair and booted up my pc. I accessed the security cameras and saw to my relief that Hunter was still in his prison. It had been one of my reasons for insomnia. The thought of him breaking free. I'm sure it must be troubling Barry as well, seeing as how he had been nervous about it just like I have.

I stared at him as he lay in his cell. He seemed so harmless. Almost like a normal human being. Sleeping like anybody else. Yet within this one person, there was more evil than within that of the whole of Central City. How many people would he have killed in total? Harry said that the reason his metahuman name was Zoom, was because of the buzzing noise that was heard when he murdered an entire squad of police officers. And those weren't even his first. Before breaking out of the mental asylum, where he had been incarcerated, he had laid waste to everyone, both fellow inmates and employees.

Right. Now how to verify this story about Ronnie?

If I could find an anomaly in it, I would know that he was lying. So what could be off? The physics? It would've been handy to have a degree in nuclear physics right now. Unfortunately, Martin Stein was preoccupied and I'm pretty sure Harry wouldn't even consider giving any words from Hunter any second thoughts. And why would he? Zoom was the deceitful mass murderer that had abducted his daughter and had tormented his world for years. I wouldn't trust Eobard Thawne either. In fact, it had been a lingering issue when we first met Harry. And asking Barry for help was also not an option, the anxiety of my powers being accidently discovered withheld me from doing so. And if I'd ask Cisco, he would surely involve Barry. And I couldn't really tell him the reason why I was so strongly against that, could I? Besides. If I told them I had been secretly visiting him in the pipeline, it would raise more questions than answers.

No. This was my problem to solve, and mine alone. And I had to be the one to solve this.

"Ah Caitlin. Back already?" Hunter commented after I woke him up by manually activating the lights in his cell.

"I missed you." I replied deadpanned.

I actually caught him off guard with that reply and he blinked a few times to process it.

"As much as I'd want to believe that, I doubt it."

Maybe it was true that his love for me had been the sole honest thing of his time as Jay Garrick. Joe had once said to me, that love is the one emotion that cannot be faked. If that was true, I might be able to use that in the future.

"So. What does bring you back so soon?"

"I'm here because I want to strike a deal."

"I'm listening."

"You give me solid proof that Ronnie is alive, and I will release you. On the condition that you talk first."

He visibly mused it over, coming to the conclusion I had anticipated.

"Sounds promising. But what should I be the first of us to play my hand?"

"Because you have a history of treachery and I don't. That makes me more credible in keeping up to the bargain."

He scoffed.

"I can't really argue with that logic… Fine then."

I walked up to the door. Only a few inches of reinforced glass stood between me and the most dangerous individual we had ever come across.

"I can't give you direct proof, but I can tell you that he is alive."

"I'm listening."

"In order to prevent Ronald's… meltdown. I devised a mechanism that stabilizes his cells. The exact opposite of the splicer, which amplifies their power, this device dampens it and thus keeps him from detonation."

"How is this proof exactly?" I frowned.

"Because, I'm sure Barry has told you this, there is one man that doesn't fit in our story. One man, that hasn't really been missed on either of our earths… Just think about it."

I tried to remember any person that might have been forgotten. That, as he said, didn't fit in the picture. I went over all the places that we had come across Zoom and enemies of him. Oh God, he was right. There was one person that none of us had thought about. That had been forgotten. Whose identity was a complete mystery.

"Wait a minute. In your hideout… that the man in the mask…"

He drew his standard, despicable grin.

"Is Ronald Raymond."


	22. Desperation

**22\. Desperation**

Was it true? Could it really be that Ronnie had been in front of us this whole time?

"The mask is a dampener for his abilities. With it, he doesn't go into meltdown." Hunter elaborated further.

Something started gnawing on me. A small detail I had overlooked, yet was a severe flaw in the whole story.

"Why have you kept him alive?" I asked.

"The 'why' was not part of our deal, Caitlin. The deal was: I gave you proof, you release me."

A fiendish thought crawled into my head. Such ideas spawned a lot recently, undoubtedly they were connected to my powers. After all, they had started since I had attained them. And even though I fought them most of the time, this particular opportunity to play the bad guy, was too perfect and too justified to let it pass by unused.

"You're right…" I said. "That _was_ our deal."

I smirked and gazed at him silently. A few seconds it took for what I said to sink in. Emphasizing the past tense of the phrase.

"No… Caitlin." He brought out eventually. "You can't do that. You promised!"

"Did I?"

"I can't remember."

"YOU PROMISED TO RELEASE ME!" He raged.

He buzzed towards the glass and slammed it hard. He didn't scare me. He was stuck and was no threat to me; the construction design made sure of that. There was nothing he could do to me, and nothing that would make me open the door. There was no room for 'nice Caitlin' here. He had set me up so often, it felt excitingly good to be screwing him over for a change.

"It must have slipped my mind."

I shrugged and turned around. As I walked away, he resumed unleashing his frustration onto the door. I casually pressed the button to lower to steel barrier, ignoring his screams.

"You can't do this. STOP! CAITLIN! CAITLIN!"

.

"Where do you think he is?" Joe asked.

When the rest of the team had arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs, I had pretended to only have been there since eight o'clock. I also withheld from them my conversations with Hunter, however I had managed to persuade them to help me retrieve Ronnie from earth two. In contrast to the other ordeals of late, this one had been quite easy. I had reminded Barry of the man in the mask, trapped in Zoom's lair, and how we had been remiss in saving him. This was enough to trigger his conscience, thus he and Harry had rushed off to Earth Two to break the poor man – which was hopefully Ronnie – out of the strange cell that he was in.

They had returned moments ago, although without the prisoner in question. As it turned out, he was no longer in Zoom's hideout. It made me beyond angry. I had crossed Zoom in getting this information, and now it wasn't even true, which means I lost my trump card. Next time, he surely won't be so forthcoming in trusting on my word alone. Thank God I hadn't set him free, that would've made me the largest fool on either of the earths.

I'd best have a word with Zoom this afternoon again, when everybody was away.

"I don't know. If Zoom has moved him to another site, it will takes us too long to find him. He will die of thirst before we do." Harry argued.

"But Barry can search your city at the speed of sound, right? He would be able to find him in time, wouldn't he?" Joe replied.

Harry shook his head.

"That may be true, but Zoom travels equally fast. The search radius is enormous. For all we know he has moved him to a place, miles from civilisation."

"And what about the most probable locations? You know, places Zoom has kept people before."

"Zoom doesn't keep people alive. In fact, I won't be surprised if he has killed the man already." Harry answered deadpanned.

"You don't know that!" I replied, louder than I intended.

"Caitlin is right. We can't just assume that he is. There must be a way to narrow down the area." Barry backed me up.

"Why don't we just ask Jay?" Joe suggested. "He's got nothing to lose anyway. At the very least we might find out if the man is still alive, right?"

The others agreed hesitantly. In their opinion, there wasn't really any harm in talking. What they of course didn't know, is that I had already questioned Hunter about the person, alleged to be Ronnie. And as I had foreseen, the following conversation between Barry and Hunter did not go smooth. Hunter didn't give an inch and changed the topic continuously to irrelevant subjects, as he had done with me. Barry was, fortunately, much less agitated by this. He was a sea of tranquillity whilst Hunter verbally squirmed out of the questions regarding the masked man. It was as if he enjoyed to prevaricate, enjoyed irritating us. Coming to think of it, he'd make an excellent friend for Leonard Snart. They were equally annoying.

Summarising, it hadn't been a complete waste of time. He had provided Barry with some other answers, like confirming the reason that he was after Barry. Our conclusions about the V9 had been correct. The drug had weakened the regenerative properties of the speedforce on his cells and he was now slowly dying as his tissue degenerated faster than his body could repair it. It was nice to know that, if not by our hand, he would still die by himself. A day that couldn't be here soon enough in my opinion. Sadly, he had acquired no useful new information about the unknown captive.

The rest of the day progressed excruciatingly slow for me. The only possibility to have a private talk with Hunter, was after everyone had left and waiting for that moment made the small, every day business even duller than usual. I spun in my chair out of boredom, when I heard Harry punching his table in the next room. I jumped up from my chair and walked over to his room. He had been working hard on his computer all afternoon and it seemed not to have gotten the result he had hoped for.

"Everything okay?"

"Fine. Just fine."

"Then, why are you abusing that table?" I asked curiously.

He looked up from his computer for a moment.

"I'm trying to figure out where Zoom could be hiding John Doe, but it's another dead end. Look…"

He opened a map of his version of Central City with a roster had been drawn on it. He had plotted a pattern of dots and lines.

"These are the places that are known by the police where Zoom has been spotted most and the most common locations from where he coordinated his meta-human army. After triangulating these results, two hits showed up."

"But that's good news, isn't it?"

"No. It isn't!" He shouted. "One of them is the lair we already knew of and the other is the CCPD station, and I doubt that he is holding him there."

"Are you sure? Maybe he bribed some cops to hold him in a cell?"

Harry shook his head frantically.

"That's impossible. My earth doesn't have corrupt cops and moreover, Zoom doesn't employ non-metas."

He sighed as he peered at his screen.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure you'll find another way to locate our missing man." I patted him on the back.

"Well. I hope you're right, cause I'm not so sure."

I silently left and returned to the Cortex.

"What's he doing?" Cisco asked when I got back.

"He's running low on ideas on how to find the masked man." I explained.

"Oh well. As long as he doesn't destroy my stuff in the process."

.

With a creaking sound, the barrier rose up and into the ceiling, after I had pushed the complementary button. By now expectant of my arrival, Hunter was standing in front of the glass door, patiently waiting for me to adopt the same pose on the other side. His facial expression was indistinct. I figured he'd be angry, however he was probably equally satisfied with himself for having moved Ronnie as an anticipation on me breaking my promise.

"So…" He started. "Found what you were looking for?"

"I think you already know the answer to that."

He scoffed.

"Did you really think I'd let you make a fool out of me? You really think I hadn't taken precautions?"

"Precautions? You broke your promise too when you lied! You said Ronnie would be there."

"No, Caitlin. I haven't said that. I only said that he was the man in the mask. I have never said that I hadn't moved him to another location."

I gritted my teeth as I recollected that he was right. It was my own fault not to include the knowledge of Ronnie's current whereabouts in the deal. Now, it appeared as if I deceitful one.

"Well. At least now I know he's alive." I deduced from his reply.

He smiled.

"For now…"

Damn, he was right again. It was but a matter of time before Ronnie would starve. Every minute wasted here was another precious minute for Ronnie's survival.

"So if I let you out, you'll tell me where he is?"

He drew a pensive look, then shook his head.

"Normally I'd say yes to you, however the circumstances of our last deal makes me a bit reluctant. I'm sure you understand." He explained with sadistic joy.

That sheer pleasure in getting on my nerves, it was repulsive. But it worked. He was getting me all worked up, like he had yesterday.

"If I promise on Ronnie's life. Will you believe me then?"

He eyed me for a moment and then whirled on his feet.

"I'm not sure. Maybe. I'll have to think about it."

There was no time for this nonsense. Ronnie was slowly dying! I made a decision. One I would surely regret later on. Now I had but one choice. I had to save Ronnie _now_. I took a few steps back and reached for the button panel. Cisco had restored it to its exact same state so I knew instinctively what buttons to press. With a heavy slam, the bar that sealed the door was shoved aside and the glass door opened slowly.

Hunter looked at me over his shoulder.

"You are full of surprises, Caitlin."

The tone of his voice made me instantaneously regret this act of desperation. Nonetheless, if it meant saving Ronnie, then it would be worth it.

"Bring me to Ronnie." I commanded firmly.


	23. The New Me

_**Sorry for my long absence. A lot of stuff has happened, but at long last I have now have time again to write a few chapters for this story. As such I am hereby uploading the first in quite a while. I am also trying to grant**_ _ **the request for more Killer Frost action, therefore I will try to speed up my plot a little. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**_

* * *

 **23\. The New Me**

Zoom looked at me intrigued.

He seemed to mull over my demand. I had hoped that he would do so automatically. Now I realized how foolish I had been to think that. I regretted my decision to open the door for him. I had done so thinking that he would see it as my end of the bargain, with his end being the exact location of my old fiancée.

"Bring me to Ronnie!" I repeated firmly.

He smirked.

"I held up my end of the deal, you hold up yours." I supported my claim.

"You held up your end?" He asked, pulling the mask over his head. "Are you sure? Because last time I checked, you have only given me what you had promised me last time."

I sensed his logic to be correct, however I couldn't let him get away without telling me where Ronnie was. I had gone too far to simply give up without trying.

"Don't you dare leave without me!" I shouted.

He looked up at me through the eyeholes of the dark leather.

"You'd better not strike that tone at me again, Caitlin." His distorted voice threatened.

Like before, all emotion had vanished, covering all traces of his feelings, of his soul. But I was not intimidated easily anymore. I had feared for my life when I gazed upon that mask, but picturing the man underneath I was able to calm down. And with my powers, I had become a lot less vulnerable. So I stared right back at him.

"Or what?!"

I tried to gauge from his eyes if he was going to do something. Just as with Eliza, it would be the only way to react in time. His pupils, however, were wider and therefore much darker. It was like staring into two bottomless wells. My anger had rubbed him the wrong way and suddenly, his face was but an inch from mine. I was spooked by the abruptness and by the misjudgement of my time to respond. I had not been able to deduce anything and had therefore not see him coming at all.

"Do not test me, Caitlin."

I mustered all my courage, determined to get the answer I wanted so badly.

"Then get me to Ronnie."

As Zoom gazed upon me, a drop of sweat rolled down my back. I was gambling with my life, yet if there was a chance that I could save Ronnie, I would willing sacrifice it to get him back. Zoom's hand shot upright, vibrating like the wings of hummingbird. Time stopped. I lost the gamble. My limbs titillated and my heart pounded in every corner, urging me on to running away. But my brains new it would be pointless, thus nothing moved. I stood nailed to the ground, my sight fixated on the tremoring object that was slowly descending towards my chest. I closed my eyes as I felt a touch on my collar and I exhaled my last air _…_

And then… nothing.

I opened my eyes and looked at him again. His hand was just resting on me. At this range, I managed to detect a certain hesitancy, something I had never seen before. He was revising his plan with me, although I didn't believe it would be for the better.

The next thing I fathomed, was the sensation of wind blowing through my hair. I had no idea how long we travelled exactly, yet that mattered little. The real question was, was he taking me to Ronnie, or was he simply abducting me?

When the trip had ended and my retina was able to adjust. I was in Zoom's lair. I looked around. The hideout was empty, except for ourselves. Or at least, so I thought. Hunter phased his hand through a seemingly random piece of the walls. After a click, the lights popped off and on again. Now, the prisons held two occupants. One of them, was a woman with blond hair, crouched in the corner. The other, was the masked man.

"Ronnie!"

I ran towards the glass, but was snatched halfway and chained to a pole in the middle of the room.

"What are you doing. Let me go see him!"

Starting with a deranged giggle, the sound he made soon grew out to a diabolic laughter.

"What's so funny?"

He pulled off his mask.

"You are. You still don't get it, do you? There is no Ronnie. There never was."

Now I had definitely lost my gamble. I had fallen for his lies once again. He had exploited me, like so many others have before him. He had been right all along. I was weak and gullible, and never before had this angered me more than it did now. I felt something come over me. Sort of like a haze for your eyes, but colder. Much, much colder. It struck me in my soul, freezing and killing the last bit of trust I had. The last bit of feeling, of the real me. The vacuum that was created within me was quickly filled with spite and hatred. Forces that wouldn't trust or love anyone, and they pushed my mind to a sinister idea. A devious plan to make everyone pay for all that they had done to me. Snart, Rory… and first of all: Hunter Zoloman.

"So you lied to me. Again." I replied calmly.

His grin faded to reform a more serious expression.

"Of course. That's what I do. " He said, observing my unexpectedly docile reaction.

"So, everything was a lie?"

He must have expected me to cry or something, because he took longer than normal to reply to my question.

"Pretty much I think."

"That's a pity." I said, looking at the ground and turning around. "I was hoping for something else."

I rubbed my left arm with my right hand and did my best to fake some tears. You might think that after all this, crying would be easy, though I really had to put in some effort to spawn them. He took again some time to think of what I was referring to, but as there was no way he could see this coming, he soon asked.

"Something else? What do you mean."

I turned around and looked at him with watery eyes.

"So you never loved me back?" I said with my most heart-breaking pout.

There it was again! That hesitance. He was unsure what to make of the current situation. But in order for him to believe me completely, I had to strengthen the idea. Not exaggerate, but increase the passion. I reached for his hand and clasped it both of mine.

"Oh Hunter. Please tell me it wasn't _all_ a lie?"

He was still wary, yet allowed me to keep holding his hand.

"What are you saying, Caitlin. That you all of a sudden forgot Ronald?"

"Not all of a sudden, no. He is gone for a long time now. And since his passing, I realized I have begun to love someone else… You."

I was surprised by how easily I could say this. A few days ago, I wouldn't have been able to say this without vomiting. It sounded so natural. Of course, he didn't believe me straight away, so he tugged his hand free and did a few steps back.

"Are you trying to trick me? A few moments ago you couldn't wait to see your fiancée again. You even released me to get to him."

I laughed, throwing him off his balance even further.

"You think _that_ 's why I set you free? Come on, Hunter. How dumb do you think I am? I knew Ronnie wasn't here. I simply pretended I believed that so you would…" I paused, getting him even more curious.

"So that I would _what_?!" He shouted.

"Take me with you!" I faked a shy look. "I was afraid you'd leave me behind."

I was astonished by how easily I laid down this performance. I was never one of those 'shy school girls with a crush'-kind of person, yet pretending to be one was quite simple. And better yet, Hunter was falling for it.

"Well Caitlin. I have to admit I… I had not expected this. All this time I thought you hated me for what I did."

"I had to keep up that appearance to avoid the others from not trusting me."

I had to think fast as he followed up one question with another and if I would take time to answer, he might see through my act.

"And how will they think now that you've released me?" He continued, taking another step towards me.

"I haven't. You abducted me."

I gulped as he lunged forward and placed his hand under my chin. It unnerved me as at this range, with his hand on my skin, he might hear my heart racing from the lying and bluffing. I had not figured that it would bother him, but his stern look suggested otherwise.

"So your plan is to blame it on me?"

His tone almost made me freeze my own fists, but I supressed that instinct. He couldn't find out, or my plan would fail. I wanted to reply instead, but my mouth was so dry from the nerves that I could only nod. He maintained his stare, stretching the passing seconds to an agonizing long period in which I could only betray myself. Eventually he smiled.

"Brilliant plan, Caitlin. Although I shouldn't be surprised considering what a smart girl you are."

I smiled back. My plan worked. Now I only needed to get close enough so I could turn him into an ice sculpture. Maybe if I could stroke his cheek. I reached out to try it, yet he seized me by the wrist and kept me at an arm's length. He drew a pensive look.

"However. As much as I want to believe all this, you do understand that I am still a bit sceptical."

I bit my lip and painfully admitted that I wouldn't act any differently in his shoes. This seemed to please him.

"Good. So you wouldn't mind if I asked you to complete a certain… objective. Just a small gesture. To certify your devotion, so to say." He hypothesized.

"Anything for you. Just tell me what you need of me."

He grinned.

"I need you to help me steal Barry's speed."


	24. Judas (1)

**24\. Judas (1)**

Despite having become such a professional 'actor' over the past few days, I couldn't keep in my surprise when he asked this of me. On the other hand, stealing Barry's speed was his plan all along and truthfully, that was not what amazed me. Him asking it of me was the real stunner. It was a stroke of genius from him. The perfect test to see where my loyalties really lay. The real question was, how could he expect me to help him with that?

"You seem shocked Caitlin?" He smirked.

He was a clever bastard, I had to give him that. But I was smarter.

"Well of course I am. I know so little of the speed force, how can I ever help you out with something this important to you?"

His smile faded.

"Good that you ask. A few weeks ago, Harrison Wells gave me a sample of Barry's speed. I don't know how he did it and since I lost his daughter, I have no leverage over him anymore."

"Okay. So you want me to find out how he stole it?"

"Yes, and learn how to do it yourself. Barry trusts you. You can get close to him and use the device to sap his energy."

Hunter looked me over to gauge my reaction. Strangely there was none. I didn't feel any different by the idea of betraying Barry. I should hate myself for even considering it; he had been such a close friend. But as of a few moments ago, my consciousness had withered away completely, leaving no care for anyone other than myself. And as a result, my answer was plain and simple.

"Right. Okay." I replied.

Hunter nodded approvingly, once again slightly surprised by my cold response. He checked his watch.

"It's still before nine. If I race you back now, nobody will ever notice you were gone."

And again I buzzed through a tunnel of indistinguishable colours, ending up in an entirely different place in a matter of seconds. We were back at Hunter's cell. He took the liberty of destroying all the cameras, as well as the door, so that it seemed as if he had escaped on his own. With the scene entirely ravaged, it would be nearly impossible to find a lot of clues. Then again, that was the whole idea. The team couldn't find out how he had truly gotten out. There would be no possible explanation that I could give for letting him out. If Ronnie had truly been alive, there might've, yet he wasn't and so there was no viable reason other than me having betrayed the team. Which I have by the way, though they shouldn't ever get to know that. Not if I wanted to get Hunter to trust me.

"It'll take them a while to figure out what really happened." He said.

"Like forever?"

He raised his index finger and waved it sideways to correct me.

"Tch-tch-tch, don't say that Caitlin. You know as well as I that your team is smart enough to figure out I couldn't have broken free on my own. And when they do, they'll be looking for an accomplice."

I shrugged indistinctively.

"Suppose that they do figure it all out? What then?"

"Then I hope for your sake that we've stolen Barry's speed before that happens."

"And if we haven't?"

"Then I will have to kill everyone here… including you."

He pulled me in by my shoulder to give me a swift kiss on my forehead.

"Good luck Caitlin. Make me proud."

"What about you? Don't you think the first place they'll look for you is your hideout?"

He smiled cheekily.

"Let me worry about, you just figure out how to get Barry's speed."

And he was gone. Once again unaffected by the turn of events, I started puzzling out a credible reason for how Hunter might've escaped on his own. First, I had to delete all the footage of me releasing him. There would be no problem with doing that. Since the cameras were already destroyed, it could easily have happened before he escaped.

I ran upstairs to the Cortex. My computer was still logged into the camera feats from downstairs, by now a raging storm of black and white dots. What frightened me more, was Cisco standing bowed over it. He looked up when I entered.

"Caitlin!" He said surprised.

Good God. Had he seen it? I wouldn't know what to do if he had. Although, wouldn't he draw a much more disappointed face. Angry perhaps? No. It was all fine.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just… you're here early."

"Yeah. I figured I had to make up for sleeping out yesterday." I made up.

"Ah." He said, not really interested in a reason. "You seeing this?"

I looked at it and nodded.

"I was just on my way down to check it." I continued lying.

He mumbled something to show his approval and proceeded by hanging his coat over his chair, never untying his sights from the screen. I walked down the stairs and to the pipeline, doing my best to walk as calmly as I normally would. Zoom's cell was a little further. Meanwhile I thought of how I was going to react to the 'unexplained' escape. Should I be shocked? In tears? Mad? I couldn't really decide. Maybe all three of them would be good.

I reached the cell and saw the carnage just as Hunter had left it. As there were not cameras, I made a few last relocations of debris so that it seemed as though the door was pushed out from the inside. Then I walked over to the communication system and took a deep breath to begin my performance.

"Cisco. Come down here. NOW! He's… he's gone!" I wailed destressed.

I wondered if I had maybe put in a little too much. But Cisco came down equally unnerved as I pretended to be. He looked over it all, and finally at me. Just when I thought he was going to ask something, he pulled out his phone to send everyone a text with the terrible news.

Two hours later, the team was assembled and debated heavily on how this could have unfolded. Harry blamed it on the cell lacking the capability we had promised it to have. Cisco was not at all happy with that; he designed the cell together with the evil Wells and in his opinion there was not a chance in the world that it had failed. In reply, Harry pointed to the disintegrated cell door and the escapee. Joe argued that we ought to have killed him when we had the chance, an idea that Barry and Iris both fiercely contested. Jessy, who was also with us, wondered if it was possible for Zoom to have gotten fast enough to break it despites precautions, but this theory too was debunked by Cisco. After having been quiet for a while, I took the liberty of changing the subject.

"Shouldn't we better focus on catching him first? I mean, he's still out there."

"Caitlin is right. We have to find him and stop him before he hurts anyone." Barry supported me.

"And how do you intend to hold him once you get him? The cell clearly didn't work." Harry contradicted me.

"It _did_ work! It didn't fail by itself, it must have been some kind of malfunction."

"Even so. How do we prevent that from happening again Ramon?"

"For that I need to know what it is that went wrong. So if you don't mind, I got work to do."

Cisco went downstairs with a toolkit, against his wishes accompanied by Harry.

"Do we have any idea when he got out?"

"I can check the camera footage to find out." I posed.

I hadn't had the time to do that yet and was glad to find Barry allowing me to perform this task alone. So while he, Joe and Jessy figured out a way to locate Zoom, I secretly erased the crucial evidence that traced back to me. After I was done, I headed back to the pipeline to check up on Cisco and Harry. I could hear them arguing long before I could see them; their quarrels were always very loud.

"Hey! Any idea?" I asked.

"Nothing yet. I don't understand. It looks like the vitals are all working."

"Maybe it something smaller? Like a screw or a bolt?"

He stared at me in disbelief, but continued his inspection without saying a word. I turned my attention to Harry.

"Hey, you made a device to steal Barry's speed right?"

"Yes. Thank you for reminding me that." He replied bitter.

"No, no, I mean, can't we use that to steal Zoom's instead?"

"In theory yes, but you would have to put it on him unnoticed or he'll just tear it off and none of us can get close enough to do that."

"But suppose we catch him. Can't we drain his speed and then throw him in a normal prison?"

"You mean _Last Airbender_ style, take his bending?" Cisco referenced.

"Haven't seen that movie." I confessed.

He frowned.

"It was a television series, but still. It would be an idea, wouldn't it?" Cisco asked Harry.

"It would. Only in order to siphon the speedforce from his cells, he'd have to use it. And if we tag him with the device, he can simply decide not to move fast. We can't make him do that. So again, the only way for it to work is if he doesn't know he's bugged."

"Oh. That's too bad." I said. "Well, I leave you to work then."

By the end of the day, the team had made no progress whatsoever. Astonishingly, Harry had actually found a somewhat degraded bolt in one of the systems of the door, and despite Cisco not believing this one element to be enough to disable the whole system, it kept everyone from suspecting foul play. Barry had been back and forth to Zoom's lair, yet without finding him. We had also activated satellite searching, however this too came back empty handed. Our biggest setback was that when Cisco tried to vibe Hunter's location via the helmet, he described the place as an indistinguishable, seemingly random cave. This meant he could be anywhere.

This slightly worried me. Had Hunter just lied to me that he trusted me? Had he simply said that to shake me off so that he could escape? It reminded me of what a dangerous plan I had embarked on, trusting a man that had lied to me so often. It sounded idiotic, but my gut told me that my seduction had worked. So actually, I trusted myself and that was a thought that satisfied my nerves.

Before I left for home, I visited Harry another time.

"Snow, what brings you here?" He said, looking up from a sheet of calculations.

I recognized in one of his sketches the pipeline prison that held Hunter. If he would start his mathematics, it wouldn't take him long to figure out that the numbers didn't add up.

"I've been thinking. You said that the device you used to steal Barry's speed…"

I saw the pain of his mistake in his eyes when I mentioned it again.

"… Is there a specific place where you need to put it on him?"

He drew a pensive look.

"No, not really. I mean, it works faster if you place it somewhere central like his chest or back, but the electricity and speedforce flows all around and through him. Anywhere on him would do."

"Okay. So what if we make some kind of gun to tag him with it?"

"I think he would notice us firing at him, don't you?" Harry replied dryly.

"Then maybe something else, uh… A sticky thing for under his shoe? Or-"

Harry waved his hands to silence me.

"Listen. It's not just the problem with putting it on unnoticed. It has to stay there unnoticed. Tagging Zoom on his suit will make him less streamlined and hence slower, which he will notice just like Barry did when I took only a fraction of his speed."

"I think so. How big is the device?"

"Big enough for Zoom to detect."

"Can I see it?"

"Why?" He asked.

I shrugged.

"Just curious. I have a feeling that I can work this out."

He smiled and pulled open a drawer. He presented me with small chip. It was indeed not very large, yet still more than noticeable. What Harry didn't know, is that I only asked to find out where he had stash the apparatus. I had a feeling however that this couldn't be the whole thing.

"You can store speed in this small thingy? I keep getting amazed by nanotechnology." He said, faking some enthusiasm.

Harry laughed.

"Yeah, but that's not the whole thing. That chip merely drains the speedforce and transmits it to…" He paused and revealed something that looked like a small coffee machine, but with a vial instead of a normal decanter. "… transmits it to this device here, where it is stored in this specially adapted V9 syringe. And I can attach it to my laptop to calibrate how much it saps and how far it's progress is."

"Ingenious."

"It is. If only it had served a better purpose."

I thanked Harry, wished him a good night and left S.T.A.R. Labs. The device was a lot easier to handle than I figured. I could operate it already and I wouldn't have to raise suspicion by making up excuses to learn about it. That was a fortunate coincide, because with Harry and Cisco both working on the remains of Zoom's pipeline prison, time was not on my side. In fact, it might be best for me to start working on the next phase of the plan tonight already.


	25. Judas (2)

**25\. Judas (2)**

After a hasty diner, I had returned to my car and embarked on the next phase of my plan. I had to find someone in order to break into S.T.A.R. Labs and steal the speed-stealer. There were cameras all over the place, so I couldn't take it myself. Besides, I needed it to look like a break-in where multiple things were stolen. That way, there would be an uncertainty about what the real target had been. And the best possible choice for that was Leonard Snart. Who better to play burglar in S.T.A.R. Labs than someone who had already burgled S.T.A.R. Labs?

Unfortunately, I had no idea where my subject of interest was. I had been driving around for two hours, visiting all places where I thought he could be hiding, yet kept ending up with nothing. Of the junkies and petty street thugs that I had questioned – nearly always with a little 'incentive' – nobody had any clue about where he could be. If I didn't find him tonight, it meant I had to postpone my plan another day. That signifies another day wasted in which I could only get caught. But my luck was about to change.

"Where is he?"

The person I was interrogating was another random dealer. I had turned his butterfly knife into ice and with my icicle now pressing against his windpipe, I saw the terror in his eyes.

"Please-please… I don't know where he is."

He started crying. It was pathetic. I pulled my weapon back to slam into his arm, when he cried out something else.

"BIVOLO! Bivolo will know! Please. Ask him. He will know!"

I reared back up. Roy Bivolo. He had been indebted with Snart for quite a while, only to be releashed of it when he helped break him out of S.T.A.R. Labs. It made sense that he had some clue about where Snart was or could be.

"And where is he?"

"The warehouse at the end of the street. I just met with him, he's probably still there."

"Thank you. That's all I needed."

I left him sniffling on the floor and to head for my destination. Then I heard the cocking of a gun and instinctively, I whirled on my feet, flicked my hand and shot the icicle I formed to the dealer. With a terrified expression, he looked down at the cylinder of solid water protruding from his ribcage. Not a second later, the gun slipped from his hand and he collapsed onto the floor. I looked down at the lifeless human with whom I had just been interacting. Yesterday this would have bothered me. Not today. Not anymore. I just stared at the corpse for a while, but then realized I felt nothing. Just as I hadn't felt anything with the last two that had attempted something like this. No regret, no shame. I merely turned around and proceeded to the warehouse.

The warehouse was ordinarily decorated with crates and containers, random chains hanging from the roof tethered to machinery to carry them out and occasional others tools. It was dark and the only light coming from the streetlights outside, the emergency exit sign and the small desk lamp behind which Bivolo was counting his money. Other than that, the warehouse was empty. I also noted the Glock lying next to the piles of cash.

"I told you not to get back before you had finished the job, Tommy." Bivolo remarked when I entered.

He had to be mistaking me for the pile of sadness I just wasted.

"So his name was Tommy. Good to know."

He looked over his shoulder when he heard me.

"Tommy's dead now, by the way." I said.

"Shame. I liked the kid." Bivolo responded indistinctly.

His glasses hid his eyes, but that mattered little. He would end up like Tommy should he try anything. Seeing as he wasn't a speedster, I'd be more than fast enough to stop him before he could utilize his powers.

"Who are you?"

I smirked, satisfied by the fact that he didn't recognize me in the low light.

"That doesn't matter. I'm here to find Leonard Snart."

"Leonard? Haven't seen him in a while."

I walked over to him, the heels of my shoes echoing on the concrete. It created a nice touch of desertedness, emphasizing that we were all alone. I could just be my _real_ self.

"Oh I think you have, Roy."

"No really, I… Wait a second. I know you. You're Flash's friend, aren't you? You're that doctor?"

I realized that in walking into the light of his desk lamp had blown my cover. And in this brief moment of confusion, he reached for his nose to pull his glasses off. That had been a mistake. Like virtually anyone besides Snart, Roy had no clue what I could do or how fast I was in doing it.

In a reflex, I averted my eyes and raised my hands to him. I heard rather than felt how I blasted him with a chilling wind. It was followed by an agonizing scream. When I judged it safe to look again, I saw that I had frozen his hand and glasses to his face. With his other hand he carefully touched to estimate how bad it was. He howled in pain as realization and frozen nerve endings were starting to sink in.

"What did you do?!" He cried.

"Tell me where Leonard Snart is!" I yelled at him.

"Westriver alley! Number twenty-nine! Please undo this! Please!" He wailed.

I couldn't repress a small chuckle. I had what I needed and he had what he deserved. Why terminate the fun so soon?

"You'll thaw out in about an hour. Until then, this is a good impression of what might happen should you tell anyone about me or about what happened here. Understood?"

"I won't tell anyone! Please! I swear. I won't! Please!"

I had no idea why Leonard had befriended this guy. He was tough, ruthless and cunning. This guy was pathetic piece of coward. No wonder he liked that simpleton outside. What was his name again? Johnny? It didn't really matter. They were all the same.

I took the liberty of taking most of his cash. It was all piled up, so I could simply shove it into the green sports bag, in which it had probably come here in the first place. This money might be what I needed to get Snart to help me, though I doubted that this little was enough for him to do as I desired. He was too greedy-no, it wasn't greed. Arrogance, it was pure arrogance that made him turn down assignments with this small a price. No. I would have to persuade him some other way.

As Bivolo maintained his loud yammering, he didn't even hear me pick up the bag and walk away. And not even once did the thought occur to me, that leaving him there might be inhumane.

 _Westriver alley 29_

The sign of the house was cracked with a few snippets of blue paint, indicating it had once had that colour. It was a regular terraced house with on the driveway an old, possibly grey – but it could just as easily be blue in this low light – Mercedes, parked with the rear end towards the garage. I hadn't seen anyone in the entire block, however to make sure I was alone, I checked left and right to confirm that before stepping out of my car. I opened the shamble garden fence, which, in a deserted street at 1 a.m. at night, made the squeaking hinges sound like police sirens. I guess this was as good as an alarm for the people inside and it dawned on me that this is probably the reason why Snart had left it this way.

I walked up to the door and knocked. I heard voices on the other side, yet the door remained shut.

"I'm here for Leonard Snart. Open the door." I commanded loudly.

It worked. The door opened. In fact, the person I was looking for held the knob in his hand.

"Doctor Snow. What an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you." He said intrigued.

"I need a favour from you. It's urgent."

I tried to squeeze myself passed him to get inside, but he blocked my path with his arm. Our faces were unnervingly close to each other, yet somehow it also felt exciting. Despite my loathe for him, he was not at all ugly.

"That's not how it works, sweetheart. I'm the one that gets to call in the favours, not you."

"You'd better remove your arm or I remove it for you." I said, piercing his eyes with mine.

For a moment he stared back intensely. Then he lowered his arm and allowed me passage to the hallway and the living room that lie behind it. It was an old room, the wallpaper was ripped in multiple places, the furniture was dusty, the windows were blacked out with newspapers and it smelled as though no fresh air had come in since the 80s. Mick was stretched out on the couch, his boots staining the cloth and his arms crossed behind his head. He looked up at me, said nothing and continued watching some kind of violent action movie. Leonard's sister Lisa returned from the kitchen with two beers.

"Oh hey. Is Cisco here too?" She asked, looking past me.

"Why would he be?"

She faced me again and shrugged.

"No reason. I love what you did to your hair by the way."

She handed one to Mick and sat down in a chair next to him. I looked at myself in a broken mirror that hung on the wall. My hair was entirely blond. Damnit. Now I had to dye my hair every day. Leonard entered the room behind me into the room.

"Lovely home you have here." I remarked to him.

"I thought you had an urgent favour to ask?"

He was clearly not too happy about my arrival.

"Yes. I need you to break into S.T.A.R. Labs, tonight."

He smiled and sat down in the second chair, sort of opposite to his sister's, whose chair was adjacent to the couch.

"As much as I'm interested in the whys, I'm going to tell you up front that's not likely to happen." He commented amused.

"Listen. The thing I need, I need tomorrow and you're the only person I know that can pull it off."

"Last time I checked you had much better access there. Why'd you need me to do it?"

"Because the others can't know I have it."

He reclined in his chair and placed his hands on the armrests.

"I'm starting to think that we are besties, seeing how many secrets you confide in me…"

He enjoyed my growing agitation, like he always did. I had to repress my anger in order to get his attention.

"… But like I said, you owe _me_ , not the other way around." He continued.

I explained to him that I was willing to pay for his services. I dropped the bag on the table, making it creak. I figured this was a good sign that it was heavy and thus contained a lot of cash. Rory burst my bubble instantly.

"It's not enough." He commented without even looking away from the television.

I looked quizzically from him to Leonard and back to him.

"If it were, than that table would've collapsed." He explained dryly.

"Mick's right. This is just enough to get you this audience with us. So again, why would we be interested in this heist?"

"I-uh… Maybe there is something in S.T.A.R. Labs that you can take?"

He rolled his head through his neck with an even greater smile.

"If there was anything worth stealing in there, I had already taken it. My friends and I recently visited, remember?"

I swore under my breath. This was going completely the wrong way. I hadn't expected this to go easy, but I had no more aces up my sleeves. And if I didn't have anything else to offer him, how on earth would I convince him?

A gust of wind flew through the room and an electrically buzzing man in a black suit emerged in the room. Zoom had followed me, but for once that wasn't such a bad thing. Rory shot up from his couch to attack the intruder, but Lisa held him back on Leonard's command.

"Caitlin. What are you doing here with these… people. Are you trying to run?" He spoke menacingly.

"No. I'm working out my plan." I replied.

"With them?"

Hunter looked up at Leonard, who drew a hostile expression, knowing who he was up against. Or what. Mick glared insultingly. Lisa had a more scared expression. I explained to Zoom that if my plan was to work, I needed them for a break-in. To get my hands on the speed-stealer unnoticed. I didn't fail to mention the fact that I already knew how the device worked. This pleased him.

"In fact, Leonard just told me he agreed with the break-in. Didn't you, Leonard?"

He looked from me to Zoom and then to his sister. I knew what he was thinking. He weighed the situation. Not that it mattered. Zoom would kill them all if they wouldn't help me; likely starting with Lisa, just because that would make the others angry. And Zoom, like the others in this room, was someone who enjoyed hurting and agitating others. Nonetheless, Zoom's timing, reputation and personality was now just the thing I needed.

"Didn't you, Leonard?"

"Yes. I did." Leonard faked a smile. "But the problem is, such a burglary requires at least a week of planning. Especially one in a secure facility as S.T.A.R. Labs."

I had expected him to say that.

"And if I gave you this?"

I placed my key ring with my security card on the table. He picked it up and looked it over. He sighed softly and concluded that there was no way out anymore. He definitely didn't like being outplayed, yet there was no other way of calling it.

"Mick, grab your coat. It appears we're going on a heist tonight."

 _ **Dear readers. Soon I'll be going on my summer holiday, so that'll cut short my updates (unless I find some wifi). Nonetheless I'll continue writing. I'm sorry that, so soon after having been silent for so long, to go quiet again for a couple of weeks, but there's no other way I'm afraid. I'm sure more of you go on holidays at this time of year ;) . Kind Regards!**_


	26. Unforeseen Troubles

_**Hello again. As promised, I'm back from holiday and here is the first update. I've tried to make it exciting, but if I succeeded is entirely up to your own opinion. Please share if you want to, then I know whether this is the right kind of excitement. :)**_

* * *

 **26\. Unforeseen Troubles**

It had been over an hour since Leonard Snart and Mick Rory had entered S.T.A.R. Labs. This worried me. They shouldn't be taking that long, not with it being just a ten minutes' drive and the easy entrée provided by my security card. They could simply walk in an out with the stuff and be on their way back. I was pacing up and down the living room, ears tuned for every noise outside. Despite having become so uncaring for the welfare of others, I was still afraid of getting caught by one of my friends. And if the Rogues were caught breaking in with my key card, I was the one going to be in trouble. Suppose that they were already caught? That it was the reason they were so late. Maybe Barry was interrogating them now, asking them how they got my card. Maybe Cisco would vibe it to find me. Then he'd be watching me right now and find out that I had become a meta. Then the nightmare of team Flash coming to take me in would be realized after all.

The others wouldn't understand why I changed the way that I have. Why I had done the things that I had. What I had endured, all the losses, the betrayals. They're what made me what I am now. I had to adapt to cope with it. I had to evolve into this… new me. It had been either that, or be torn apart by the psychological abuse that I have suffered the past weeks. I guess my powers being unlocked had been the natural reaction of my body to all the hostilities of my environment. A necessary adaption to survive the harm that had been done to me. That was _being_ done to me.

Lisa was sitting on the couch behind me. With her brother and friend gone, I had kept her here as leverage to make sure they'd come back. I told myself that I was just following Zoom's advice, but I knew, deep down, that without his interference I would probably have ended up making the same choice. Speaking of Zoom. He had left as quickly as he had shown up. Typical jealous men. Checking up on you constantly, however leaving without lending a single hand.

Since his departure, Lisa had unstressed again. She didn't seem scared at all by being used as a hostage and casually read a magazine. I figured Leonard had told her I'd be easy to control. Well. I wonder if he still thinks that now that he had become my errant boy. Suddenly, Lisa broke the silence without even looking up from her reading.

"Don't worry. They know what they're doing."

"I'm not worried!" I sparked, partially spooked by abrupt sound of her voice.

She put the magazine down and followed me with her eyes as I walked back and forth.

"Sure you aren't." She smirked.

That annoying trait apparently ran in the family. God, I already disliked cocky people, but lately I it had become a strongly rooted hate. I felt the urge to blast that grin off of her face with a chunk of ice, yet knew it would only make things a lot more complicated. At the moment, I had to swallow it. When it was over, I would take down everyone. Villains, thieves… and smartasses!

"There they are." Lisa said, again without me expecting her to say anything.

I walked to the front door and checked the spy glass. She was right. The old Mercedes in which they had left for S.T.A.R. Labs pulled up by the house. It was honestly impossible to see the true shape and colour of the vehicle through the deforming glass, but what other car could it be. I opened the door and rushed outside to find out what took them so long.

"Did you get it?" I asked when they stepped out of the car.

"Right side of the desk, top drawer." He repeated my instructions and handed me the drawer. "Just in case, we took the whole thing."

I checked the contents and found myself rejoiced that everything was inside. There was also a photograph. It pictured Harry, holding Jessy as a youngster of maybe six years old. I need not take this, but how can I explain returning it to him? I threw it back into the drawer without any sense of regret and took what I did need instead.

"We also took a bunch of other stuff like you asked, but-uh… we also ran into a problem."

"A problem? What kind of problem?"

He gestured me to come to the trunk. Mick swung it open and showed what was inside. The shock was severe enough to cause me to gasp for air. Harry was lying motionless in the back of the car. His head showed a massive bruise on the back, with blood running out of it. My head spun and I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Oh my God. Did you-"

"He's not dead if that's what you're afraid of." Leonard assured me.

I reached for Harry's neck and felt a pulse. It was true, he was still alive. This calmed my dazzled inners a great deal, though left me confused and angry.

"Then why the hell did you take him with you?!"

"He saw us." Mick explained.

"So what?!"

"He saw us come in with _your_ tag." Leonard added.

"I could've just said that mine had been stolen!"

It dawned on me that if I had thought of this earlier, I shouldn't have been so worried about getting caught. Leonard produced a contemplating hum from his throat.

"Yes. It would've been better to think about that sooner."

Harry captured put me in a much tighter spot. Wait a minute. _That_ was why they had taken Harry. Leonard _had_ thought about it! Even in a more devious way then I had. He had abducted Harry on purpose to put pressure on me. I had forced him into the burglary, now he was trying to force me into leaving him alone.

"Idiots. Bring him b-"

I fell quiet as Harry started to wake up. My heart cramped up, but Mick leaned forward and with a single blow to the head he knocked Harry out again, allowing my heart to resume its beating.

"A little late for that now, don't you think?" Leonard suggested.

"What a diva. You get her what she wants and she's still not satisfied." Mick complained.

That was the last straw. All the pent up aggression of the last few days was released. In a split-second I drew a circle in the air with my hand and pushed the ball of ice I created away with my other. The solid sphere hit Mick in the chest and send him flying through to air, landing with his back against the garden fence. Simultaneously, Leonard pulled out his cold gun to fire at me. I deflected the ray easily with my hand, and blew him over with a gust of arctic wind.

Alerted by the noise, Lisa came running out of the house, firing lustrous beams at me with her Gold Gun. I duck behind the car to avoid getting struck by the odd, yet lethal projectiles. Under the car, I saw her circle the car, slowly coming towards me from a different angle. I waited with bated breath until I judged her to be close enough. Then I slapped my palms onto the ground, casting out a crystalline blue path towards her feet. She slipped, lost her balance and fell onto the floor. The ice itself was already a painful landing for her, but I maintained my attack a little longer to cause her black, leather clothing to freeze to the floor as well. I got up from behind the car and encased the weapon that she had dropped in the process in ice.

I was tempted to make a snide remark in order to ridicule this petty habit of her and her brother there, but before I could I was stopped by a powerful grip, clamping my arms to my waist. Mick had seized me from behind and he was a lot stronger than I had estimated. He lifted me into the air and squeezed the air out of my lungs. I tried pointing my hands to him, but his grip was too tight and I couldn't aim my palms at him.

"I should just let Mick kill you right now, but you still owe me and I could certainly use someone of your talents." Leonard said, walking towards me.

He picked up the Mick's Heat gun.

"What makes you think that he could?"

The squeeze around my waist strengthened. Maybe it was not wise to taunt my assailant, but all the arrogance that surrounded me lately, worked kind of infective.

"I think it's time for to go and not come back. If we need you, we'll come for you. This is the final time that you get to call the shots, you got that?" Leonard cried angrily.

"Is that so?" I asked.

I bent my head forward and blew a freezing breath onto Mick's arms, creating a painful frostbite. Caught off guard by the abrupt pain, I took advantage of his short lack of attention to slam my head backwards against his. I knew it would probably hurt me more than him – Mick's forehead felt like a rock – however I managed to free myself and immediately jumped away from him and summoned an icicle in my hand. Leonard aimed the incinerator at me.

"If you move another inch." He warned me.

I laughed at him.

"Are you sure you, honey?" I let out, again being surprised by my own choice of words.

He looked closer and noticed that I was standing right on top of his sister, the icicle right above her chest. He gauged the situation and, like me, came to the conclusion that even if he shot me, I would be able to kill Lisa before I would get hit. For the second time tonight, it was checkmate in my favour.

"Drop it!"

He disarmed the gun, tossed it on the floor and put his hands up.

"I can see why you hooked up with Flash's evil twin." He said bitterly.

I laughed.

"That's cute. Now get your ass into that car and bring Harry back."

He helped Mick back on his feet. The latter rubbed his arms painfully, not knowing it would only made the sting worse. He walked over to the car and closed the trunk.

"You'd best not be here when we get back." Mick warned me.

"Trust me. I won't be."

This surprised Leonard.

"Really, why's that?"

"Because I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be. Besides, if you think this gives you the opportunity to try something, then don't forget. That boyfriend of mine will kill your sister and you faster than you can say Caitlin Snow."


	27. The Final Step

**27\. The Final Step**

"So when are we ready to go?"

Hunter had sought me out in my apartment the next morning, eager to find out if my plan with the Rogues had been successful. He nodded approvingly when he learnt that it did. I chose to leave out the part in which they attacked me and tried to set me up. I had handled it and there should be no reason for him to doubt my capabilities. I needed him to trust me, not just so that I could get close enough for kill him, but also so that he wouldn't have his guard up when I did. As powerful as my freezing was, he might just be fast enough to escape me should he realize in time what going on. When he had asked about my blond hair, I had made up some crap story about having dyed it to hide my identity should I have run into someone. Luckily he had bought it quite easily.

"Soon." I said yawningly.

After the chaotic night and just three hours sleep, I wasn't exactly well rested. I could've slept an hour longer, but then Zoom had arrived and I had had no choice than to get up.

"I have the device and I know how it works. All that's left is to attach it to Barry's suit and make him run. The only difficulty is that in order for this to work, he has to be going fast enough so that when he notices his speed is being drained, it'll already be too late. If notices it sooner, the game's up."

"I wouldn't break your pretty head over that. If I show myself at S.T.A.R. Labs, he will go his fullest to get to me. Guaranteed."

I reckoned that he was right. Barry would give his all to capture Hunter again and in addition, he would be so preoccupied with defeating his enemy, that he wouldn't realize he was being leeched until it was too late. So that left just one last part of my plan to be solved. Attaching the sapper to his suit.

"Right. Then I'll text you when it is done."

"I look forward to it." He grinned. "See you soon then."

And in an instant, he was gone again. Good. Appreciation and satisfaction were necessary steps towards gaining his full trust. If I stole Barry's speed, he would finally believe my loyalty. I knew that I should feel bad about doing this to Barry, however I couldn't stop thinking that it was all for a greater good. Stopping Zoom. I'm sure they'd understand eventually. Besides, I would never let Zoom get the thing he wanted. I planned on executing my plan before that. That means that technically I was only borrowing his speed, and Barry wouldn't mind that, would he?

I packed the speed-sapper in my purse and just then did I notice the message on my phone.

 _Problem at star. Burgled! Everybody come quick. -Harry_

Its time stamp was half an hour ago. I had best go there quickly to avoid attention. The last thing I needed when being so close to my endgame, was to raise suspicion. I dyed my hair back to its original brown, grabbed my purse with the speed-sapper inside and hurried myself to S.T.A.R. Labs.

When I arrived, it was ten past eight and the door was already open. From the voices I estimated that I was the last to arrive. I put on a fake smile and entered the Cortrex, yet my jaw dropped before I could say 'good morning' to anyone.

"Dear God..."

My astonishment was not even acted. Snart and Rory had not made their visit a secret. The mess was far worse than I could ever have imagined. The floor was scattered with glass from the broken glass walls. Amongst the shards, there were paper sheets, pens, small electronics and more office debris. Some of it burned, some of it frozen, broken or ripped; few things were left intact. It likely all originated from the drawers that had been torn out of the desks and were also on the ground, either in one piece or multiple. Cisco sat on the floor, weeping over one of his batman comic books that too had lost its life in last night's carnage. Harry came walking in, shaking his head.

"What happened?" I asked him, seeing as how Cisco was not really up for talking.

"A break-in, but honestly I don't remember that much."

"How so?"

He showed me the bloody piece of cloth that he used to staunch the wound on his head. That pleased me, the memory loss that is.

"I remember seeing them barge in and something about being in a car, but since I'm still here, I'm not sure that is a true memory."

Barry buzzed in, apparently after having done a full check up on every corner of S.T.A.R. Labs.

"They raided the lab too?" Harry asked him.

"Yes. And unfortunately the weapon's storage as well." He replied.

"The weapons storage?!" I cried out.

I wasn't sure whether my outburst was directed towards Snart for stealing weapons, or towards myself for not having thought of him doing exactly that. On the other hand, he had been in there the last time and not taken anything. So why had he done it this time?

"They took a lot of things, but mostly the smaller ones. It is as if they wanted to take as much as possible in one go." Barry continued.

"Who is they?" I questioned, since their names hadn't been mentioned yet.

"Captain Cold and his pyro bud!" Cisco sneered darkly, showing us the semi-scorched comic. "If I ever see them again, they'll pay for this!"

"It's just a –"

"Don't you dare say it, Harry!" He threatened.

Harry raised his hands, gesturing that he gave up trying to talk reason into him.

"What _other_ important things were broken or taken?" I demanded, attempting not to hit Cisco against the sore leg.

"The weather wizard staff, the prototype of the cold-proof shield, Reverb's goggles..." Barry summed up.

"And the speed-sapper." Harry said.

"The what?" Cisco asked, broken from his trance by his curiosity.

"The-uh… the device I used to steal a small fraction of The Flash's speed."

Everybody looked uncomfortable when the topic was re-addressed, but Harry assured us that it was impossible to use it unless you knew how and what it was for.

"So there is no way it can be used against Barry?"

"Even if they knew how to, they had to put it on Barry without him noticing. That's what the problem was with Snow's plan."

This drew in quizzical expressions from the others, hence I explained my plan to use the device to steal Zoom's speed. That we could stop him without needing to kill him in the process. While Harry lectured me again on how brutal and ruthless Zoom was and how he deserved nothing less than death, Barry agreed with my non-homocidal solution. He asked if Harry could rebuild the device.

"Better yet. I've build in a tracker." Harry said.

I felt the blood retract from my face.

"Why?" Cisco wondered.

"I build in trackers in all of my things. Though crime rates are low on Earth Two, invention theft is unfortunately just as common as on this earth."

Cisco rubbed his chin.

"Maybe I should start doing that too then. Just as long as you're around."

Harry brushed up for a reply, although he was interrupted.

"Great. Then we can track all of your things that were taken?" Barry demanded.

Harry nodded.

"But first I'll need my laptop. Meanwhile you can clean..."

Barry flashed across the room and everything was tidy again.

"...up."

He gave Barry a dead-panned expression, receiving just a smile in return. Then he left for his room.

"I hope it wasn't stolen too!" I lied.

"It wasn't. They never entered my bedroom." He called back, apparently still having heard me.

Harry walked away.

"Right. I'll continue sorting things out downstairs." Barry said, leaving the room as well.

"I guess, I'll repair the alarm." Cisco said.

It was a delight to see everyone leave the Cortex. Because my time frame had shrunk to less than a few minutes, I had to move now to put the device on Barry's suit and summon Hunter before they'd trace the device back to me. I dug up the small chip and clambered up the suit's pedestal. I removed the chest symbol and attached the chip. Luckily Harry had made no alterations yet, so it still fitted perfectly.

"Caitlin?"

Cisco's voice startled me, but I did my best to avoid openly showing that by not turning around. I reattached the symbol and stepped off the pedestal.

"Cisco."

"What are you doing with Barry's suit?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh, you know… Weren't you checking up on the alarm?" I changed the subject.

"I forgot my toolkit. Know what?" He readdressed it.

His frown had deepened and he walked towards me slowly. I had to talk my way out of this faster than Barry could run or my cover would be up. Getting caught now would be like breaking an ankle with the finish line in sight.

"Just checking if it's okay."

"Sure, but isn't that my job?"

"Yeah. But I figured you were going to repair the alarm, so I'd help out."

He still didn't look convinced.

"True. Then again, why would there be something wrong with the suit?"

"Because we don't know what Snart may have done to it. I mean, look what he did to your comic. Who knows all that he damaged."

This seemed to tip him over.

"Hmm, you're right. Nothing is sacred to that guy. Good call, Caitlin. I'll go over the suit after I finish the alarm."

He left the Cortex with his toolkit. It wouldn't take him long to find out that it hadn't been disabled. Then he'd be back to find my chip. It was now or never. I withdrew my phone and send a message to the number Zoom had given me.

 _All set. Get here asap._

I waited for a reply, but none came. Damnit. For such a fast guy, he took his time to read his phone. I put down the phone, only to pick it up seconds later. Come on. Come on.

"That is strange." Cisco pondered aloud, walking back in.

He had been gone for barely five minutes, even shorter than the minimum I had accounted for. How could he have done that already.

"What's strange?"

"It's all fine. Nothing has been damaged or tampered with."

"Are you sure? Have you really checked _everything_?"

He looked puzzled.

"Uh...yeah. You know we have the triple S for that Caitlin."

The Swift Security Scan. It was a computer program Cisco had designed to quickly ascertain the functionality of our defences in case of a metahuman attack. The normal programs took too long so he had made a more rapid one. One that took only a few minutes. Damn that invention.

"Yeah, but I mean, is it done already?"

"It goes quite fast if everything's running normally, you know that Caitlin."

"Ah. Good, good." I let out, thinking of ways to stall him further.

He made his way over to the suit. I had to stop him, so I blocked his path.

"Caitlin. What are you doing?" He sparked.

"Don't you think we need to find out he they got in then?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll think on it when I'm running tests on the suit."

"Can't that wait?"

He did a step back and looked me over with a concerned look. I did my best to stare back at him without displaying my anxiety.

"What is wrong with you today. First you want me to prioritize analysing the suit and now all of a sudden it can wait?"

"I just think that in comparison to our safety, the suit is less important. What if someone barges in again?"

"Then Barry is here. But he can't help us without his suit. So step aside."

He pushed me aside as I couldn't think of a reply fast enough. He pulled down the puppet with the suit and connected a wire to it from his computer. I couldn't think of any sane reason to stop him. The thought of using my frost to stop him shot through my head, yet then everybody would know there was something with the suit. Moreover, Zoom could barge in any second and I didn't want him to discover it. The only way for my plan to work was for Zoom to trust me and not know of my powers. And the only way to do that, was to get the speed-sapper to work without using my powers. And for that, nobody could suspect anything.

"Cisco, please. Are you sure about the alarm?" I tried one last time.

He sighed annoyed.

"Yes, I'm sure. Nobody can get in without us knowing about it!"

A crackling electrical surge made all the papers Barry had sorted out, fly through the air again. A dark shape had appeared in the middle of the room, slowly turning his face towards Cisco.

"Are you sure about that?" Zoom asked with his ominous voice.


	28. No More Running

**28\. No More Running**

Even though I knew that Zoom had been on his way to us, his sudden entrance spooked me. I didn't like being scared anymore. It angered me, but on this occasion it was fortunate. If his appearance hadn't frightened me, it would have been strange. And my actions had already been strange enough as of late. I couldn't use any more suspicion.

"Jay. I figured you'd show up eventually." Cisco said.

He snorted amused. I realized that nobody had figured out yet that his name was _not_ Jay Garrick. I reckoned it was more evidence for Hunter to have faith in my 'loyalty' to him.

"I guess that shouldn't be a surprise considering your powers, Vibe." Zoom replied.

Another electrical surge sent sparkles through the Cortex, the yellow trail spitting out Barry in front of us. Hunter pulled off his mask.

"Hello again, Barry."

"Jay."

"I told you that you couldn't lock up the darkness."

"You came back just to brag about your escape?" Cisco laughed sarcastically.

" _Zoom_!"

Harry cried out his name as if it was a curse, which perhaps it was. He had drawn his rifle and aimed its barrel at the black menace that had terrorized him for so long.

"Oh look. The whole group is here."

Harry fired his gun, but Zoom dodged it with ease. The projectile just blew a fragment from the doorpost behind him.

"Harry, don't! This is between me and him." Barry said.

"How admirable of you, Flash."

"Have you traced it yet?" I whispered to Harry.

"Trace is running. I came when I heard the commotion. Why?"

I looked back at Zoom, who glanced back at me. I hinted with my eyes to Barry's suit, followed by softly tapping on the purse that still hung on my hip. His nod was so small that it made me wonder if he actually made that gesture or if I just imagined it.

"Suit up, Flash. Then we'll resume our race." He nodded to Barry's red outfit.

Barry frowned and did as commanded.

"How'd you do it?" He asked.

Hunter's lips formed that despicable grin again.

"I'll tell you if you win."

And in an instant, the number of people in the room was reduced by two. Cisco dashed behind his laptop to monitor the fight on the high-speed cams. Harry sprinted down the stairs to get the boot; one of the weapons that had fortunately been left behind by the Rogues. With nobody looking my way, I opened my purse. I had stuffed the coffee machine thingummy in it, leaving just enough room for me to plug its cable into my computer. After a few seconds of passivity on the screen, I figured the device was not supported by my pc. Cursing silently in my head, I pulled the cable and hid it in my bag again. Then I saw, that with one eye on Cisco and the other on the door to check for Harry's return, I had overlooked the small pop-up screen. It stated that a driver was being installed; an installation that was now aborted. More curses followed and in my haste I dropped the cable twice. But my hurry was legitimate. I could judge from Cisco's enthusiastic cheering that Zoom was losing. And if he lost, he'd get locked up and I would never get a chance for my revenge.

After a tantalising minute of setup, I was finally able to summon the adjustment window. I boosted the drain percentage to its maximum of one hundred and pressed OK just in time. Harry re-entered the room, forcing me to minimize the window.

"How's he doing?" He asked Cisco.

"Good so far. With the tachyon device and his recent training, he's more than capable to handle Zoom now. Hey Caitlin, come see how Barry wastes Jay… Caitlin?"

I knew it was suspicious not to go over there, but I hadto activate the sapper _now_ if I wanted my plan to work. Almost there. Almost. Yes! An old fashioned grey box at the centre of the screen stated that the device was activated and the drain bar was starting to fill up.

All of a sudden, Cisco showed up behind me and looked over my shoulder. In a quick reflex I slammed the _alt_ and _tab_ buttons to switch to my email box, which was somehow opened simultaneously.

"What was that?"

Sadly, it had been too late.

"What was what?" I asked, trying to save what could be saved.

"That screen you just pressed away."

"Cisco, there was nothing there."

He drew an agitated frown.

"Yeah right, like you were checking your mailbox in the middle of this fight."

He pushed me aside and pressed the same key combo I had before I could keep him from doing so. His astonished look proved to me that he knew what he was looking at.

"It's not what you think!" I said distressed.

"Oh really? Then explain to me what it should look like!" My hesitance to respond only confirmed what he had seen. "You're stealing speedforce, and I don't think it's from Zoom!"

"What?!" Harry blasted in total disarray.

"You're stealing Barry's speed, am I right? AM I RIGHT?"

"I-I-I…"

I couldn't think of a reply that would sound credible.

"That's it. I'm warning Barry."

He stomped back to his laptop to alert Barry via the communication's system. I couldn't let him ruin my plan. Not this close to the end. I _had_ to act. I _had_ to take the risk. By now instinctively, I aimed my hand for the microphone and encased it in ice. Like all those times before, I knew exactly what I did and had no clue, at the same time, but the result was always that which I desired. But the real risk was not using my powers, or even exposing them. The severest risk was Zoom finding out. Me and ice in one room or my hair turning blond would be two plus two, inevitably leading him to the conclusion that I had the power that could stop him.

"Caitlin… You are-"

"A meta. Very perceptive, Cisco."

Harry recovered from his shock almost immediately and drew his blaster. Curling my hand, I generated a ball of ice and shot it straight at him. With the adrenaline in my veins however, it's radius was twice that of what I had ever conjured thus far. It was closer to a bowling ball now, than it was to regular baseball. The impact was so heavy, it send Harry flying against the wall, leaving him motionless on the floor.

"You're… you're not Caitlin." Cisco uttered with a terrified expression.

It surged through my that current events were almost exactly those as the ones that had unfolded in my nightmares. Harming Harry, Cisco in distress, the phasing hand. What if these things were the first steps on the road to my demise? I shook my head to clear my mind. No. If I stuck to my plan, it would all be fine.

"You're Killer Frost."

That name had a quite a ring to it. How come I never noticed that before.

"I'm both actually." I confessed.

"Impossible. The Caitlin I know would never-"

"Help Zoom? Steal Barry's speed?" I finished his sentence. "Guess again."

"It was you. You helped Jay escape…"

I checked the screen and noticed the bar to be halfway full. I simultaneously monitored Cisco's surveillance cams. The battle was turning in Zoom's favour.

"But why?"

"I got my reasons."

"B-but that's Barry. _Our Barry._ OUR FRIEND."

"Spare me the ethics, Cisco. I've got no room for those."

He stared at me in disbelief.

"What happened to you Caitlin?"

Suddenly, I felt an enormous rage building. The question he posed had so many answers. Ronnie happened. The particle accelerator happened. Evil Wells, Jay's death, Zoom's lies, my powers; they all happened. Cisco knew all that and still he asked me for clarification. I slammed my fist onto the desk, freezing my computer mouse.

"EVERYTHING! Now leave me alone!"

I took another glimpse of the progress bar. When I looked up, Cisco had raised his hand to me.

"I'm sorry Caitlin, but I can't let you do this. You left me no choice."

I felt a fear welling up by the foresight of the interdimensional energy he controlled. I had seen the powerful blasts he could fire and had heard the stories of Reverb's lethality. It would knock me out with a single pulse. He exhaled and I braced for the impact…

However, nothing came. I realized why.

"Hahaha. Nice try, but without your goggles, you're not going to do anything."

He gritted his teeth. I was right and he knew it. I took away the ice from my mouse and continued monitoring the progress. It was almost complete, ninety-five percent.

Then, out of nowhere, Barry flew through the Cortex and into the main screen, leaving a large dent in it, sending around electric flares and glass pieces. Zoom appeared immediately thereafter, his mask removed.

"B-but how." Barry muttered weakly.

Zoom eyed me and then the screen. He smiled contended and then seized me by my neck. It was such a strong grip that I couldn't breathe.

"Come on, Barry. You want to be the hero, right? Go on. Save her."

Barry crawled on his feet, his eyes firing with his last bit of speed.

"Barry wait. Don't-!"

Cisco's call came too late. Barry dashed forward with a crackling noise, tumbling on the floor in front of Hunter's feet. Despite my insensitivity of late, the sight of Barry using his last strength to save me broke my heart.

"That's a shame." Hunter sighed.

I was released and I gasped for air right away. Normally I call out infuriated, yet I had to act as though I approved all of Zoom's actions. I would get him soon enough.

"I-I'm sorry…Caitlin." Barry sighed.

His words hurt me, albeit not enough to tear my act.

"No Barry. It is I who should say sorry." My subconscious replied to him.

Confused at first, he too quickly concluded how everything had come to pass when I stood up and took my place alongside Zoom.

"You released him… you took the speed-sapper… You did this? Why?"

His facial expression was the same as when he had learned that Zoom and Jay were one and the same. It dawned on me that in my fight against Zoom's betrayal, I had become the same traitor and deceiver as he was. But there was not time to regret that now.

"The same thing that makes you run for Iris." Hunter said, placing his arm around me.

I felt uneasy, but didn't pull back. He seemed to trust me at last so I smirked.

"That's right."

"And to think she devised this whole plan by herself." He turned to me. "I've always said you were a smart girl."

"Only for you, honey." I whispered back.

"I think I'm gonna puke." Cisco said, drawing a disgusted face.

I walked to the computer and checked the program. The bar blinked at one hundred percent. All of Barry's speed had been leeched and stored into the vial. I reached for the purse and pulled the vial from the machine, now with a glimmering, electrical content. I showed it to Hunter. He smiled and made a symbolic applause to me.

I reached into my purse again and withdrew the injector. The vial resounded a click when it was attached and the item was ready for use.

"Here is your cure, darling."

He reached out, but I pulled it back on the last second. He looked at me surprised and with a beginning rage already. This guy had such a temper.

"First…" I said leaning forward. "I want a kiss."

His mood visibly cleared up instantly.

"For you, Caitlin. Always."

He complied, unaware of the consequences. Our lips touched and I felt a warm titillation going through my jaw. The feeling got stronger with every passing second, flowing down into my chest and to my gut, fanning out to all parts of my body. Looking at our reflection in my computer screen, I saw that my hair lost its colour, gradually becoming blonder and blonder as my action transpired. I felt how he began to fathom what was happening and how he tried to pull out. I embraced him, locking him in to my arms, drawing more of his energy out through the palms of my hands that I placed on his back. It was too late and his movements were nothing else than distressed seizures. The at first strong twitches weakened until they were nothing more than shivers and warm influx through my lips subsided.

I broke contact and looked him in the eyes. His skin was pale-bluish and it shined like glass.

"W-w-what…? Y-y-you p-p-played m-m-me…!"

Even through his half frozen face and tremoring lips, his words had their distinct echo of anger. I smiled content. The last thing he would know about this world, was the concept of betrayal. The concept that had been his trademark, until he himself had eventually fallen victim to it. I leant forward and kissed him again, sucking the last bit of warmth from his body. The influx I sensed was but a fraction of what I had sensed at the start. When I was done, all his movements were gone. I reared back up to see an ice sculpture of that what had once been the most fiendish person on two earths. I stretched out my arm and shot my finger against it with my thumb. After the familiar sound of breaking ice, his whole body fell apart into small shards.

It was over.

Hunter 'Zoom' Zolomon was dead.

 ** _Next update is probably not this fast. I'm moving into my flat next week and start working, so it'll get quite busy. Kind Regards,_**


	29. Outplayed

_**It has been a while since I updated this story. This had multiple reasons, the major one being my acquisition of a residence as well as a job that both take up the greater share of my time. Hopefully you haven't lost interest, because I have finally figured out an ending towards which I'm intend to write (the lack of which was another reason for the postponed updates). Please enjoy.  
**_

 **29\. Outplayed**

With the last small shards of Zoom's existence slowly melting away on S.T.A.R. Labs' heated floor, nobody had the guts to speak a single word. My – perhaps former – friends looked at me in silence. Harry had revived a little before, but he too had nothing to say about the situation. It was Barry that at last broke the silence.

"Caitlin… Wh-what have you done?"

I looked at Hunter's frozen remains and back to Barry.

"Looks like I may have killed him." I replied dryly.

"Why?"

I scoffed.

"Seriously? Why?"

"YES, WHY?"

"Because he was a monster, that's why. A treacherous murderer!"

"What does this make you?" Cisco asked.

I scanned the faces of the others in the room and saw in their eyes that they all thought the same way.

"Oh don't be such whiners. He deserved every bit of it." I replied angrily.

"Snow…" Harry said. "You know I agree with you completely on that part, but this is not how we do things. You of all people taught me that revenge is not the way."

"Well a lot has changed since then. I've learned the truth since then." And to answer their quizzical expressions I continued. "Life means to kill or to be killed."

"This isn't you, Caitlin. The Caitlin I know wouldn't kill someone. These powers have changed you." Barry commented sadly.

"The Caitlin you knew was weak. The Caitlin you knew lost everything, twice, because she was too blind to see that the world isn't meant for honesty and kindness … only for power!"

"Caitlin." Cisco addressed me in a remorseful tone. "I know that you've been hurt more than once. How do you think I felt when Ronnie died? Or when Eobard Thawne set us up? Or when Jay turned out to be Zoom? But no matter what, I kept believing that we, this team, could get through it all. Not because of power, but because we had each other. And that's why kindness is more important than-"

I interrupted him by blowing some air through my lips to emphasize how cliché his remark was.

"That's cute Cisco. But I've told myself that fairytale one time too many."

"Please, Caitlin! Let us help you. This isn't to deal with it." Cisco said soothingly.

"How would you know how I should deal with it?!" I sparked at him.

"Because you stole Barry's speed for God's sake!" He yelled back, equally angered.

I realized that I had already forgotten about that. I glanced down at the syringe in my hand. The speedforce inside glimmered and crackled and emitted a yellow glow. It dawned on me that in my hunt for Zoom, I had hurt my friends in the exact same way as I had been hurt myself.

"I never intended to give this to Zoom." I abruptly confessed.

"Then please… give it back." Cisco pleaded.

I stretched my arm to hand it to him, when suddenly a small voice in my head warned me. It whispered to me not to return Barry his powers just yet. For if I did, my nightmare of his hand piercing my chest might become a reality after all. Without his speed, Barry couldn't kill me and it was impossible for them to take me out. If I gave it up now, I could be digging my own grave; in their current mind-set, they were surely capable of it. They felt betrayed like I had. And I knew first-hand that betrayal leads to anger, anger leads to revenge, and that revenge leads to killing.

I tugged back my hand and the syringe with it. Though having promised myself to give it back once I had ridding the world of Zoom, my sense of self-preservation got the better of me.

"Caitlin?" Cisco asked.

"No. I can't. Not yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, this my guarantee of walking out of here alive." I reasoned.

"Guarantee? Caitlin, we're your friends!" Cisco replied angered.

"So was Jay. And so was Harisson Wells. I can't trust anyone apparently. I'll leave the vial under the trashcan outside once I'm out of here."

"Nonsense, we-"

Barry stopped him and gave me a small nod. I don't know what he was planning. He seemed to accept my terms.

"Alright Caitlin. Have it your way. But know that if you need us, we'll be here."

I had expected more reluctance. Maybe I was mistaken and they were only trying to help out… And maybe I wasn't. Either way, I wasn't taking any chances. I had already seen the first part of my dream come true, making the possibility of its fatal conclusion a lot more realistic.

Leaving the team stunned, I quickly ran out of the Cortex and to the stairs. I jumped down two threads at a time, sometimes even three. I continued running until I reached the door. I threw it open and ran outside. Knowing that without Barry's speed I would have a head start, I halted for a moment to take a breather. I leaned on the trashcan under which I intended to leave the syringe. Too late I realized, that I wasn't the only one in the parking lot.

 _*Clap, clap, clap*_

My neck hairs perked upright and my hands jittered. The slow clap and voice were instantly recognizable, as was the grim smirk.

"Well, well, well. I knew you'd broken bad, but the stunt you pulled ought to go down in the history books." Leonard Snart said, having emerged from behind one of the cars.

"Now what are you talking about?"

I played dumb, but it was of no use. He knew the details of my theft almost better than I did myself.

"The vial in your hand. Come, no reason to be modest. Stealing Flash's speed, if that isn't a heist worth celebrating, I don't know what is."

I raised my hand to him and ordered him to stop, the condensing air hinting that I was powering up.

"Forget it, Snart. This vial is going back to Barry."

"Oh really? But what if we made you a better offer, hm?"

We? His implication that he wasn't alone dawned on me too late. I felt a strong bash on the back of my head. Stars fluttered in front of my eyes and my legs lost their ability to hold my weight. The asphalt painfully greeted my arrival by sending a faint tremor throughout my limbs. I saw the vague image of Mick Rory as he bent over to relieve me of the syringe holding Barry's speedforce.

Their voices sounded further and further, and apart from two increasingly blurred silhouettes, I saw only the blue sky. I tried my best to comprehend what they were saying, yet couldn't distinguish the words that were uttered. Suddenly more voices joined in. Screams. The bright blue light of Snart's Cold Gun shot over my head. Then the adrenaline worked out, my body gave in and I lost my consciousness.

It was the same pain in my skull that had knocked me out, that now woke me up. It was quickly accompanied by sore bruises on my arm and shoulder, which were the evident results of me hitting the floor. Unbeknownst of what had occurred meanwhile, I found myself tied up on a chair in the shabby living room of Snart's base of operations at Westriver alley. Mick was lying opposite me on the couch, watching television, even though his face read no signs of being interested in what was on.

I turned my head to look around the room, but saw no sign of Mick's companion.

"Leonard! She's up!" He suddenly thundered.

My head was like after a hangover and his loud voice made me cringe. I noticed that Mick seemed even less interested in me being awake than he was in the television program.

"Ah, welcome back." Snart responded, appearing from the kitchen with a mug damping liquid.

Neither of them had their weapons on them, so I judged it safe to boast a little and announce my escape.

"You do know that this rope isn't enough to keep me, right?"

I froze the rope, shattered it and showed my palms arrogantly.

"Actually that rope was just for holding you upright." Mick said, still not having averted his eyes from the screen.

I looked surprised at Leonard.

"Mick wanted the whole couch for himself." He answered.

Knowing that they wouldn't be so relaxed unless there was some insurance, I scanned the room for the syringe. Snart caught my searching gaze and pulled something from his coat.

"Oh, I guess this is what you're looking for the vial? Well you'll just have to wait to see the item until the arrival of the buyer."

"The buyer?"

A gust of wind slammed open the door and a shadow was cast over me. I turned my head to the door in astonishment, despite already having heard who it was that had barged in. The shape of his shadow from the hallway and the soft crackles of his footsteps were enough to scare my blood flow into a complete halt. I readied my hands for his arrival, but when he finally showed up in the doorway, I was so terrified, that I lost the potential to conjure as much as a snowflake.

"Hello again, Caitlin."

"H-Hunter…" I stammered afraid.


	30. The Forgotten

**30\. The Forgotten**

"Ah, welcome back… Hunter." Leonard said, apparently hearing Zoom's real name for the first time.

Zoom pulled down his mask and looked at him indistinctly.

"Leonard… Mick."

"Whatever." Mick muttered.

He peered into his bottle of beer and uttered a disappointed sigh, after sadly concluding it to be empty.

"I trust that you have it?" Hunter asked.

"Naturally." Snart replied, retrieving the speedforce vial from his jacket.

"Good. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that neither of you two have taken it yourselves."

Leonard smirked and tapped the vial.

"Well, rumour has it that with this, you can't get drunk anymore."

"God, what a nightmare." Mick added, whilst opening another beer.

After the first shock, I finally managed to speak a few words.

"H-how are you still alive?"

"Precautions." Hunter replied curtly.

I also detected a slight sadness in his eyes. Just briefly, but it was there. Almost as if he was human. In addition to my aversion of this idea, I sensed a bit of pride in hurting his feelings as I suspected my turning on him to be the reason.

Zoom reached out for the item and Leonard pressed it in his hand, holding it a bit longer than Zoom anticipated.

"This means our deal stands?"

"Leaving you and your pals to do whatever you want in exchange for Barry's speed."

Leonard nodded and let go. Zoom's eyes sparkled upon seeing the vial in his hand. He glanced at me.

"… and Caitlin of course."

"Actually I wanted some ransom for her, but I guess with the Flash gone Mick and I can make the necessary withdrawal ourselves."

Zoom gave him a nod and immediately thereafter, the dazzling spectrum of scenery passing by at lightspeed, blinded me. This was the third time it happened to me, however my stomach just couldn't get used to it. When we finally arrived at his hideout again, I was barely able to keep myself from throwing up.

Zoom stood over me, the lifeless eyes of his mask staring down at me. I figured that if he was going to kill me, he would've done so by now. Yet not killing me, could only mean that what he had in stall for me was much, much worse. This made me even more anxious. This resulted in my hands starting to tingle again. Hopefully my intensified fear for him would also intensify my powers. Without the element of surprise, I would definitely need it.

"I am disappointed in you, Caitlin."

He removed his mask and his handsome, but hated face emerged. It was contempt and anger which filled me, rather than fear. Clearly, the mask was intimidating even with the knowledge that both with and without the mask he was the same bastard.

"We could've had the whole multiverse at our feet."

"You're insane!" I replied hostilely, getting up.

He started reached for my arm. I stumbled away from him as best as I could.

"Get away from me." I sparked fearfully.

He grinned fiendishly and followed me slowly. I shot an icicle at him. Without blinking he dodged it. I kicked over a bucket, filling the room with a clattering noise. He laughed as I clumsily tried to move back. I tried to take him out by flinging chunks of ice, although none of my projectiles found their mark.

Suddenly he dashed forward and stopped inches in front of me. This frightened me so much that I failed to avoid tripping over the same bucket I hit earlier. He stood over me, his smirk widening upon gauging the increased horror readable in my eyes.

"I killed you. How can you still be here?" I asked.

There was no pointing in prevaricating. He knew I killed him, or attempted it, otherwise he couldn't have been able to take countermeasures.

"True. You glaciated me if I recall correctly."

"I don't understand."

"And here I was saying you were smart."

I frowned. Although he had me scared, that didn't mean he wasn't working on my nerves. What good was it anyway to withhold his secret. He would be killing me anyway.

"Cut the crap, Hunter. We both know that you're just postponing my execution. Just tell me how you did it."

He laughed.

"Time remnants, Caitlin. Older versions of myself that allow me to be in two places at once."

Time remnants. Like with the Reverse Flash, whose remnant we had encountered earlier as he tried to kill doctor McGee. A plan came to mind. If I could distract him, I might have a chance at taking out the real Zoom this time. He was standing close-by, which could grant me an opportunity.

"So that's also how you could be both Zoom and Jay."

"Exactly."

"And you were okay with getting killed? I mean, the time remnants are still you, right?"

He smiled.

"There's that intellect again which I admire so much in you. Yes, we are all one and the same person, so naturally it took me a while to convince them. But once they learned that they would be giving their lives for the greater good, they soon agreed."

"And what is this greater good?" I questioned rhetorically.

"Beating the rules of the speedforce. Becoming the fastest man alive. Becoming the fastest of the multiverse… And with this, I have at last achieved it."

I seized his feet in order to catch him off guard during his gloating. For a moment it seemed to work – his feet got encased in ice – yet I quickly realized that catching a speedster off guard, was impossible. In a split second, he had broken free and was standing behind me. He had his grip on my shoulder before it even dawned on me that he had eluded mine. With an angry roar, he threw me across the room. I had always wondered how Barry, who was not that strong, was capable of stopping large objects. Now that I was the one being moved, I realized that it was not the force, but rather the sheer speed with which the action was performed, that provided the necessary power. Dazzled by the blow, I had no time to brace for his immediate follow-up attack, sending me back to the side of the room whence I came. In the next instant, I was picked up and

"Why did you even bother?" He taunted.

I was wondering the same thing, though could only pant.

He buzzed off, only to feel myself get lifted up and thrown across the room again. With a painful smack, I hit the iron bars next to the glass prisons. I sat upright, yet couldn't manage to stand up. An abrupt and intense pain in my shoulder indicated that it was dislocated, and in addition to all of my other pains, I decided to stay down.

"Tired already? I thought you had more in you." Hunter taunted me.

"Just get it over with." I replied, tired of his bragging.

He smirked.

"Oh, you think that I plan on killing you?"

"You're not?"

"Of course not. Why would I?"

I stared at him perplexed.

"Seriously why? Because you killed my time remnant? Don't be ridiculous, Caitlin, I'm not blaming you for that. Hell, I killed myself as well once, remember?"

I couldn't think of an appropriate answer. He was even more deranged than I had ever given him credit for. He honestly seem to think that me murdering him was a poor excuse for returning the favour. I blinked a few times. I simply couldn't fathom that someone could think this way. If me wasting his time-remnant wasn't a good reason, what was?

"No, the only thing I blame you for, is betraying me. It broke my heart, Caitlin. I really thought we had something together."

"Well, life sucks."

An evil grin crept onto his face.

"Well spoken… And it's about time you realize that too."

He phased through the glass behind him and tugged out the man in the mask. As always, my gut thought quicker than I, and it did not like what was going on. Its cramped feeling forewarned me that something terrible was about to unfold. Unfortunately, I was too banged up to do anything about it.

"You see, Caitlin. I didn't always lie to you. Not directly at least."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you that there was no more Ronnie. That what I had said about him falling down on my earth was a fairytale. Well guess what?"

He vibrated his hand and disintegrated the helmet that the captured man was wearing. The shards had even hit the ground yet when all my heart and all connected blood vessels ceased their flows all at once. Despite his greasy black hair having being ruffled by the iron helmet, he was no less charming than on the day he proposed to me. Ronnie's face was still characterized by his handsome cheekbones and glistening, green eyes.

"Isn't that wonderful. Ronnie's alive. I guess you must be overjoyed right now."

Hunter's remark was a major understatement. It had been too long since I ever experienced the kind of happiness that I did now. Yet the gnawing pain in my gut intensified, chewing through the happy feeling, leaving nothing but fear. Fear I could now very well understand as it was evident what was going to happen.

"No... Please, Hunter… Please don't!"

I knew it was of no use, though I started begging nonetheless.

"No Caitlin. You broke my heart. It's only fair that I break yours!"

I tried to summon anything. A snowstorm, an icicle, a bit of frostbite, anything! It wouldn't give. The idea of losing Ronnie again was more heartbreaking than I could put to words, which gave me difficulty to tap into my powers. I needed anger or fear. I needed adrenaline, which sadness didn't provide. And as a cruel twist of fate, I was now once again unable to save the man I loved most. My eyes were glued to his.

"Caitlin, it's okay." Ronnie soothed me.

But Hunter was determined to prove him otherwise and took the sadistic liberty to beat Ronnie multiple times in quick sequence, prior to his final goal of killing him in front of me. The sounds of the punches drownedin the echoes of my anxious cries in the cave.

"I love you." He muttered.

Ronnie's voice got weaker and weaker, till the point where I couldn't even hear him anymore. I just saw his lips moving. Hunter's satisfied grin made me angry beyond comprehension, although Ronnie's sad goodbye made me incapable of doing what I had to do. I could only watch as Hunter brought his tremoring hand closer and closer to Ronnie's neck.

"Please, Hunter. Don't kill him. Take me, please! Take me!"

He wasn't going to stop. Hunter's face formed a satisfied smile, the same one he had asked me to steal Barry's speed. That grin of victory when he knew he had me cornered.

"Sad that you only had him back so briefly, Caitlin. And to think he was right under your nose the whole time! It's too bad. Now say goodbye to Ronnie!"

Hunter raised his arm above his head, waited a second, and let it fall down onto the kneeling man next to him like a guillotine.

"Nooooo!" I cried.

Out of the blue, the glass wall behind me exploded. The shards flew towards Hunter like a confetti canon, forcing him to raise his hand and protect his face before he could execute Ronnie. The glass was soon followed by two white beams, forming a layer of ice on Hunter's arm. In order to avoid the cold slipping past and onto his face, he had to use his other arm too.

It was like looking in a mirror. Killer Frost, my doppelganger from this earth, had broken out and bombarded Zolomon with her powers.

"Get Ronnie and go!" She yelled.

Ronnie, who had been freed of Hunter's grasp, had fallen on the ground as he was nearly unconscious. I crawled forward and lifted him onto my shoulders.

"I don't know how to thank you." I said to Killer Frost.

"Better you don't. I can only stall him for so long. Once he's free, he's coming for you!"

I glanced back at Hunter and saw that she was right. The ice that encased didn't grow thinner, yet it surely didn't thicken either.

"Then why are you doing this?"

Killer Frost drew a bitter smile.

"He took away my Ronnie… I couldn't bear to see him take yours too. Now GO! GO!"

* * *

 _ **If I can't manage to update before the 31st, Happy 2018 to all of you!**_


	31. Twice The Snow, Twice The Cold

**_Happy newyear everyone! And enjoy this chapter!  
_**

* * *

 **31\. Twice The Snow, Twice The Cold**

With the crackling sound of Killer Frost's rays behind me, I did my best to haul Ronnie to the exit of the cave. I kept glancing back to check how it was going, yet nothing changed. It was a war of attrition that could only end in my doppelganger tiring out first. Hunter would win again. I felt anger flowing back into my hands. A slight titillation, not enough to do anything. Besides, I had to get Ronnie to safety first. How far would I need to go? When would I be safe? I wondered if any distance could be called safe. He travelled so fast that not even another earth is far enough.

An explosion startled me back to reality. I turned around to see Killer Frost having being thrown onto her back and Zoom – he was wearing his mask – standing next to her. He said something I couldn't hear. Clearly Killer Frost disliked his comments just as much as I did because she responded by hurling an icicle at him. He phased through it, dashed forward and violently lifted her up by the neck. Dangling above the ground, she gasped for air as his fingers tightened around her windpipe.

I lowered Ronnie and put him gently against a pillar. I couldn't let Zoom win. I closed my eyes and focused on the rage that the idea of his triumph generated. I felt the power flowing over my arms, through my hands and into my fingers. The soft stings as the air condensed on my skin. I was ready.

I thrust my hands forward and sent a white, crystalline beam at my black leathered opponent. Fast as he was, he hadn't anticipated for it. It hit him right on the head and away from my doppelganger. She was dropped on the ground, sore but alive.

"What are you doing. I told you to go!" She sparked.

"Together we stand a better chance."

"Yeah, at dying."

"No. We got this." I encouraged her as well as myself.

I blasted Zoom again with a chilling wind. He got up just in time and flashed to the other corner.

"So, you girls wanna pick a fight?"

"Actually, we want you to be quiet!" Killer Frost yelled.

She coupled her snide remark with a projectile of solid ice. Zoom evaded the attack. I predicted that he would go for her first. Hunter was short-tempered, and her insult would definitely get him irritated. Instinctively I fired a pulse of cold air in front of her. My assumption had been correct –I hit Zoom in the chest and knocked him aside and through an empty cupboard. Frost shot a few icicles after him, yet Zoom quickly ducked behind a pillar.

I made eye-contact with my ally and gestured to the floor. It seemed that beside our bodies, our minds were also similar. The moment we heard the buzzing of Zoom's movements resume, we simultaneously planted our palms onto the floor and turned the whole room into an ice-skating hall. Zoom noticed it too late. When he came charging at me, he lost his foothold and slit with bone-shattering velocity against the wall behind me. It surprised me that he was capable of standing up; at that speed, he must have broken something. But, if anything, it was his mind.

"Enough. Nobody can stop the darkness!"

He jumped up against the wall and started circling us over the walls. I had not foreseen this and was therefore too late to act on it. If I hadn't instinctively crouched behind a toppled table, I would've gotten a full dose of electricity from the lightning bolt that flew over my head.

As much as Killer Frost and I were similar, we were different. My first reaction was to seek cover, whereas hers had been to try and shoot Zoom from the walls. She also seemed to prefer throwing solid chunks of ice, in contrast to my favour of snowy winds.

"Look out!" I yelled.

Killer Frost was out of the way just in time to avoid getting struck by one of Zoom's thunders.

"A little help would be nice!" She criticized.

I peeked over the table, trying to estimate where Zoom would be and when. I was greeted with a surge of electricity pounding the table, bashing a chunk out of it. I mustn't calculate it. I had to feel it like I did before; act instinctively. By thinking it through, I would never be in time. Unless…

I rose to my feet and blasted my cold winds at a bottleneck area on the walls. I kept it up as long as I dared. It worked. Suddenly, a black figure emerged from the circle of blue light surrounding us and tumbled onto the ground.

"Now!" I yelled.

I shifted my attack to the smitten metahuman, my doppelganger joining in after. Zoom fervently cursed us as it was impossible for him to get away. The layer of ice got thicker and thicker. I could hardly see the fiend behind it anymore. I could even afford a brief eye-contact with my ally to find that she concurred. The groaning sounds of Zoom slowly died away until there was nothing… Just the quiet iceberg under which he was buried.

"I can't believe we did it." Killer Frost cheered.

I wasn't convinced.

"Don't be so sure."

"He's covered in half a metre of ice. If he could've come out he would've done so by now, don't you think?"

I rubbed my chin and peered silently at the snowy pile that remained. Maybe she was right. Surely I had learned that killed someone with my powers never gave a spectacular ending, however this seemed a bit anticlimactic. It was quite abrupt. Or wasn't it? It took us a while to take him down. Also, there was little room for oxygen in there. If Zoom was still alive, with his heightened metabolism, he'd suffocate in minutes. These explanations reassured me. Then why did I continue to feel unsafe? Maybe the other me would know.

"Is there a way we can be certai-OH GOD."

A razor-sharp piece of ice flew past my head, close enough to cut a few of my blond hairs. I had no time to think as more lethal projectiles came flying at me. I had to make a run for cover, hopping over the scattered debris in an inelegant, yet surprisingly efficient manner. From behind one of the pillars, I deemed it safe enough to take a moment to process what happened and to question it.

"What the hell?! I thought we were allies!" I called out angrily.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" She laughed.

Killer Frost was living up to her name. After having tried to kill my friends, and successfully killing Zoom, she now attempted to kill me too. I couldn't understand why though. She seemed such a valiant ally earlier on.

"Well, you did help me out before, right?"

A ball of ice exploded against the back of the pillar, frightening me, though not doing me any harm.

"That's because I was gonna die anyway. Now you're just in my way!"

"In the way? Of what?" I shouted back.

"Ronnie."

"Ronnie?" I replied confused.

Killer Frost had circled me and now shot a freezing pulse at me from my right. I absorbed the attack with my own hands.

"What about him?" I asked, even though it was already dawning on me.

"With you out of the way, I can take your place. Then I can have my Ronnie back."

I snorted amused.

"Don't make me laugh. My Ronnie is not at all like yours."

"Do I look like I care?" She said, adding another ball of ice to her answer.

I dove aside, summoning an icicle mid-air and throwing at her. It barely missed her shoulder. This angered her and she resumed her barrage of baseball-sized projectiles. I managed to shoot a few of them down, with the exception of the last one. It hit me terribly hard in the chest, sending me on my back.

I saw her close in to finish me off. I had to think of something new, something unpredictable. Theoretically, I could form mist if I shape a cone from my hands and blow air through it. And so I did. At first not much occurred, but then it began working like a charm and I created a thick mist that blocked all vision. Then I rolled aside to change position, which unfortunately had me put weight on my injured chest. I couldn't repress a small 'ouch' and as if Killer Frost had instantly been granted the capacity to see through the fog, see shot another ice ball at me. This time it hit my leg.

I crawled my way through the debris, however all I did was make more noise, hinting Killer Frost where I was going, resulting in more bruises. Eventually I came across a block of ice. It was Zoom's iceberg. I had trapped myself.

"Well, how about that. Good old Zoom is finally useful." Killer Frost joked.

God, why did all villains have to make stupid puns all the time. I used my agitation to shoot a massive icicle at her – one of the biggest I had created thus far – but she waved her hands and summoned a shield. The spear slammed into it and got stuck halfway, after which she dropped the whole thing on the ground. I looked as it fell and broke into pieces.

"Aw, don't look so sad." She taunted. "You're not bad at this. I'm just better."

She flicked her hand and drew a shard of ice, sharpening it with her other hand.

"If you have any last words, then I'm afraid I can't deliver them. No-one can know I took your place."

"Ronnie will know you're fake." I couldn't help saying.

She smirked.

"We'll see."

Suddenly, strange noises were emitted from behind me. We both turned to the frozen tomb as it now contained a faint blue glow inside. As that glow increased in brightness, the icy walls started to tremor and crumble. With every passing second, more cracks sprung into the ice and before I realized how bad this was, the prison shattered and Zoom's dark silhouette emerged from the cold damp that was released with him. A sphere of blue lightning surrounded him and assured that the last of the cold was expelled from his body. In Zoom's hand was the syringe that I had acquired for him. He had injected Barry's speedforce into his arm to overcome his affliction and, more importantly, to gain enough power to overcome the walls that confined him.

He inhaled deeply.

"Where were we?"

One glance at Killer Frost and I knew she was even more horrified by Zoom's reappearance than I was. In a desperate attempt, she immediately launched the weapon from her hand, hoping to catch him off guard. I think she too already knew that it was a futile attempt.

Zoom vanished with an electric buzz, only to show up inches behind Killer Frost.

"Oh yes, I remember." He spoke with his distorted voice.

Directly thereafter, the sickening sound of bones being split, followed the sight of Zoom's nailed fist protruding from her chest. I averted my gaze in anguish and could only hear how Killer Frost's lifeless body produced a faint echo upon hitting the concrete ground.


	32. Meltdown

**32\. Meltdown**

Because Killer Frost was my exact mirror image, seeing her get killed was like spectating my own murder. Motionless on the floor with a big hole in her chest that gushed blood onto the cold concrete, it gave a gruesome portrayal of what my future would be. As always, Zoom's mask hid all his emotions, yet I knew that he enjoyed the sight of my fearfulness. Otherwise he would have already gotten on with killing me.

"She was the lesser one anyway." Zoom commented.

I didn't respond. It was useless to do so. We had lost. I had lost. There was no way I could stop Zoom alone. Unless there is another helpful meta waiting around the corner, but the chances of me being twice that lucky, were astronomical.

"Onto the next business."

Zoom's silhouette blinked and Ronnie appeared in his hand again. He was still unconscious.

"Why. You don't have to kill him!" I cried out for no other reason than to postpone that dreadful event from happening.

"I believe I explained that to you already. You break my heart, I break yours."

He raised his claw and vibrated it. Through my tears, I saw vaguely how he slowly brought it towards Ronnie's chest. Every second was agony, a fact that Zoom knew very well.

The hand almost touched him when suddenly it stopped. I figured it was another way of Zoom to prolong my suffering, but despite the mask, I read on his face that he couldn't understand the reason either. He looked at it and tried his best to get it spinning again. It wouldn't, at least not continuously. Short bursts is all they were. The confusion was an opportunity which I managed to take advantage of. I raised my hand and blasted him away from Ronnie, against one of the pillars. He tore off his mask and looked at me hatefully. I knew he was going to charge at me. With my palms still aimed at him, I used all my power to create a blizzard strong enough to stop him. He didn't even move.

He took a harsh dose of cold. With the heat generated by his speedforce, he tried to fight through it. At first he succeeded. But then, after a few seconds, the electricity faded again and his body was covered in snow crystals at an exponential rate, eventually throwing him on his back.

He vibrated the snow away, or maybe it was anger that melted it, I didn't know.

"What have you done to me?!" He cried.

I had no clue as to what was going on, however it would be foolish of me to squander this lucky turn of events by trying to figure out its origin. Imbued by the feeling of control, I shot ray after ray, ignoring my injuries as best I could. It kept Hunter on his toes as his infrequent access to speed made avoiding my icy gusts unexpectedly challenging for him.

He tried to circle me, yet his speed stopped working again a few metres behind me. This gave me plenty of time to turn around and hit him again. He tumbled and rolled away from, against the wall. I heard him cry in pain. I dared to afford a moment to monitor his condition. His power seemed to return with increasingly longer intervals between them.

He lay on the floor, writhing like a worm. He clasped his arm and squeezed it so hard with his own claws that blood was seeping through the sleeve. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was the arm in which he had injected Barry's speedforce. Blue flares shot over his body. I instinctively raised my hands as I believed he was going to attack, but almost immediately thereafter, I realized I was mistaken. The flares were the cause of his agony.

"What have you done to me?!" He yelled again.

It almost looked like an immune response; as if his body was rejecting Barry's speedforce. Or maybe his body couldn't handle more speedforce, like an overdose. Whatever the case, it was clear that he wasn't going to put up a fight anymore. He was in too much pain. I stared at his squirming and suddenly I felt something which I hadn't felt since I learned of his false identity...

Pity.

I genuinely caught myself feeling sorry for him. Despite all the things that he had done, the part of me that wanted to become a doctor got the upper hand in my head. Seeing a human being in this much pain triggered my memory to remind me of the oath I had taken.

I raised my hands again.

I was not going to kill him out of vengeance, but out of mercy. I unleashed the cold on him, instantly dousing the cerulean flames. White clouds hissed and whirled. The crackling electrical sounds died out, along with his horrifying screams. When the clouds settled, his body remained in a silent peace. His pain was over, as was his reign of terror. He had gotten a merciful end, which considering his record was more than he had deserved.

I ran over to Ronnie. He was still unconscious, albeit he was now muttering and sweating. I placed my hand on his head and felt that he was searing hot. Without the power dampener, his body was lacking Stein's cells to stabilize the firestorm matrix. He would go into meltdown if he didn't get a partner. But Stein and Jax were God-knows-where and what are the odds of another suitable partner existing?

 _*whoosh*_

I flew over the debris that was scattered across the room, only to get smacked hard against the wall. Despite knowing what caused it, I had three more of these short and painful trips before my brain gathered enough cues to process the events. I looked up. Zoom stood across the room. My windpipe wheezed as my lungs tried their best to resupply my body with oxygen. I definitely had more than a few broken ribs, hampering my breathing to the point where it gave this strange sound. Clearly my cold had sedated his pain without killing him. Intrigue, nuisance, sadness, regret; one could imagine any of these emotions to fill one's mind at this point. Not me. I could only produce one thought.

"How often did I have to kill this fucker." I said to myself.

In a quick dash, he stood in front of me and pulled me up by my shirt. His face radiated determination. I tried to fight back, yet had insufficient air to do so. I stared back indistinctly, knowing what was going to happen.

"Looks like I get to kill you after all." He smirked.

Before I could say anything, Hunter screamed like a madman and he dropped me on the floor. Another bruise for the collection. Hunter was forced onto his knees next to me as he gasped in pain. He tried reaching for his right shoulder, on which I noticed a glowing hand.

"You're not killing anyone." Ronnie said firmly.

I was ever so glad to see him up and about, however he looked far from fine. His entire skin was cloaked in orange flames and his eyes were bright red. The air around him swirled from the heat, hence his grasp on Hunter's arm had to feel like being branded.

Hunter's impaired movement and pain-twisted expression confirmed that hypothesis. And not only that, but the heat Ronnie pumped into him reignited the blue sparks. As they shot up high, both me and Ronnie did a step back as the sparks set in more fierce than ever. It was a horrific sight as the flames unearthed cracks all over him, yet I knew better than to intervene this time. In a last attempt to get his revenge he reached out to me, albeit his arm fell apart in minute particles almost immediately. The terrified screech Hunter produced then, was one that would fit in the darkest nightmares, as the light vaporized the rest of his body, not leaving a single remnant of his existence.

"Let's hope that was the last one." The Killer Frost in me joked to Ronnie.

I looked at him as he didn't reply and saw how he instead he fell on his back. I ran over to him, but stumbled back as his fiery coat turned blue and he bathed his surroundings in burning flames. I was too late. His cells were collapsing. Ronnie was dying...


	33. Coming Home

**33\. Coming Home**

It was Stein all over again. This time around however, I had less time and there were fewer alternatives. Back then, we had already explored the only two possible matches for Stein: one of which turned evil, the other joining up with him to travel through time. Even then, we had almost been too late and that had been even before Stein's fire had turned blue.

Wait… That was it! _We_. If I could reach out to the team, they might know what to do.

"Cisco!" I yelled, hoping he would pick it up with his vibes.

I remembered all too well that I had betrayed them in a way that couldn't be forgiven, ever. But Ronnie on the other hand was innocent and if team Flash put one thing before all others, it was saving and protecting the lives of the innocent.

"Cisco!"

I didn't quite know how or if he could hear me. Simply put, I was so stressed out that I nearly forgot to breathe, causing me to inhale air in short, rapid gulps that hurt my chest a little; it was a result of my battle with Hunter. The pain was worse earlier on, although my mind was now fully focused on the one thing I wanted: Ronnie's survival.

"CISCO!" My voice cracked and I coughed.

The realization that nobody finally came to me. I had to fix this on my own, but for that I needed to look at the problem rationally. I took a deep breath and tried to ease and slow my breathing. Ronnie was writhing in serious pain, muttering incoherent sentences. I had to ignore it in order to help him. I had to think like a doctor, because, bluntly spoken, he was just another patient.

Okay.

Stopping his meltdown was something I couldn't do. Not without the team to conjure up a new splicer or dampener. What else? What would I normally do if I couldn't stop the cause of the illness? Fight off the symptoms! Of course, that's it. The most critical issue at hand was him overheating; _the_ thing I was armed to cope with. As I raised my hands at him, doubt snuck into my mind. What if I gave it too much? I could kill him.

Ronnie replied to my hesitance with a loud scream, sending out a pulse of fire that threw me on my back. There was no time to think this through. The cavalry wasn't coming and I was the only option Ronnie had if he wanted to avoid going into nuclear meltdown.

I jumped up and readopted my battle stance. Slowly, I let the cold seep out of my hands and pour onto the flaming corpse in front of me that was once my fiancée. It had absolutely no impact whatsoever. I upped the energy I invested, yet it refused to present any difference. Agitation got the better of me and I began putting in greater amounts of effort. Due to my competitiveness, I almost failed to spot the moment that I was subduing the flames, Ronnie's grumbling decreasing with it.

"CAITLIN!"

Cisco's horrified scream almost gave me a heart-attack. He, Barry and Harry had appeared through a breach of Cisco's making.

"Cisco! Quick. You have to help me. Ronnie. He's-"

"Getting killed by you!"

"What? No! He's going into-"

Before I realized it, Harry shot me with his rifle. One could ironically argue that I was getting used to being thrown, flung and shot after today, but sadly reality didn't agree. I did however stay on my feet this time by dampening the projectile's force with my arms. I slit a few feet back, my heels screeching over the concrete as I did. I quickly hid behind a pillar to avoid Harry's follow up attacks. The dream that I had been trying to avoid for so long had finally caught up with me. The image of me almost killing Harry stood as fresh in my memory as on the day of that nightmare. I couldn't let it go that way.

"STOP!" I yelled.

The barrage ceased. I counted to three and walked away from my cover with my hands in the air.

"Please. I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"Tell that to Ronnie!" Cisco asked.

"He's going into meltdown, the only way to stop that is by cooling him down."

"Ha! That's the worse excuse ever." Cisco laughed scornfully.

Barry pulled Cisco's by the sleeve and whispered something to him, whilst pointing at Ronnie. I saw signs of doubt crawling onto all of their faces as they recognized the symptoms that Stein suffered a while back. The three of them began a fervent discussion, yet despite all that, Harry never lowered his gun on me. After a few seconds it started to annoy me. What was there to talk about anyway? Wasn't it obvious what was going on? This squabbling was merely a waste of precious time, that which Ronnie had so little of.

"You go ahead and keep talking, I'm gonna save Ronnie."

I walked up to him and even though it was better than before, he was still covered in flames and visibly in pain. Harry threatened me again, aiming the gun at me with its buzzing sound. I looked at him in desperation. I was not afraid of getting shot. I was afraid that if he would not back away, I had to hurt him for Ronnie's sake. Yet if I did, nightmare might become reality.

"Please. Don't do this." I said, feeling the tingling in my hands.

Staring each other in the eyes, the seconds that passed felt like days. One of us was gonna hurt the other. Neither of us wanted to, but both doing it because of what we believed to be the proper course of action. I figured where best to hit him without doing too much harm, hoping he thought of it too.

Then Barry placed his hand on the gun and pushed its barrel down. He shook his head and pointed at Ronnie. In his confusion Harry, sought the eyes of Cisco, though even he nodded eventually.

"Go ahead Caitlin." Barry replied.

I nodded and resumed my unconventional treatment. My friends monitored it all from a distance, likely with an genuine anguish of me going too far, similar as I sensed myself. But it worked and Ronnie changed from the cerulean glow back to his bright orange, and ultimately to his normal humane self. I stopped and heard how his breath had also returned to normal. This small trait was definitely the greatest relief of all. I had not taken it too far; had not accidentally killed him.

"Quick. We have to get him to S.T.A.R. Labs now before he warms up again." I said.

Cisco obliged and opened a portal. The other two picked him up and carried him through. Initially I followed, but halted after a few steps. I was no longer welcome there, was I? Cisco turned around and took notion of my hesitance. He looked down at the floor, struggling with this exact issue. Then he said something that I'll never forget.

"Come on, Caitlin. Let's go home." And he extended his hand.

I wanted to argue, although the desire to go back was too strong. I took his hand and followed him through.

On the other side, S.T.A.R. labs was still the same. Then again, why wouldn't it be? It's not that it would have changed in the few days that I had been absent, and yet it felt like ages since last I was here. Without uttering a single word, Cisco and I followed Ronnie as he was carried upstairs and put onto a bed. I watched how they applied an infusion, heart-monitor and a thermometer. Cisco cuffed him to the bed with power-dampeners, however it remained to be seen whether this prototype – which at the time could only temporarily support Stein – was enough to stabilize his cellular matrix. Harry had been working on increasing its powerful and multi-applicability, albeit a prototype it still was.

When they left the room, I dared walking over and grab Ronnie's hand. I squeezed it. He did not squeeze back. I read from the monitor that his heart and temperature were stable, knowing very well this could all change in an instant. His calm respiration made me feel happy, something which too felt far longer back than it probably was. This was the first moment since I discovered that Ronnie was still alive that I could actually enjoy said fact. It was unfortunately also paired with the recollection of all the injuries I had sustained: ribs, arms, shoulders and head, all of which began signalling their presence to me.

"Caitlin…"

Barry's sudden entrance spooked me.

"Barry..." I answered softly.

I couldn't find the courage to meet his gaze. I did not know what to say to him. Having taken his most precious possession and having bargained it for something that could just as easily have been a lie, was unforgiveable. Moreover, that in the gamble I had also lost that possession. I had lost Barry's speed, which was a mistake I could never undo.

"It's not your fault, Caitlin."

I produced a sarcastic laugh.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I stole your speed Barry! I stole it! And I traded it for my own gain!"

"Not your own gain. Ronnie's life. I would have done the same thing if I had known."

"But you didn't know. And neither did I. Zoom could just as easily have been lying about all of it. What if it hadn't been true?" I argued.

He paused and thought about it.

"But it _was_ true. And that is what matters."

I sighed and turned my attention back to Ronnie. This was so typically Barry. He was not actually trying to win the argument, he was only trying to ease my conscience. But he could never ease my sense of guilt. If only I had done things differently. Like tell them sooner about my powers, or ask them for help earlier on, or return the vial _before_ I left instead of after. Then Snart would never have…

Snart.

It was all _his_ fault. If he hadn't shown up, I could have simply returned the speedforce vial. Then none of this would've turned out the way it had! The anger seeped back into me and quickly overgrew the happiness of Ronnie's resurrection. Snart had to pay. If not for his meddling then Hunter would have never gotten hold of the vial. The fiery passion of revenge re-energized me completely. I let go of Ronnie's hand and spurted out of the room.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Barry called after me.

"Collecting a debt." I whispered inaudibly.

* * *

 _ **Just as a short reply to all people messaging me that I should update sooner: I know.**_ _ ** _ **Apologies that I don't,**_ but I simply don't have enough time/mindpower to write. During the day I read, write and imagine at work, so when I get home my head is sort'a empty. If I write then, I can't produce literature that I'm content with (and probably neither are you). Kind Regards,**_


End file.
